2012 Travelers Championship Discussion Thread

[mvmac]

And the tour just keeps moving on.  After the grueling, brutal test of Olympic, players return to normal, under par golf at the TPC River Highlands.  Last week's champ Webb Simpson will playing his first two rounds with fellow major champions Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley.  Will the Bird Man interrupt another trophy presentation?  Let's hope not, here are some Expert Picks

Travelers Championship

Expert Pick order Player selected Helen Ross MICHAEL THOMPSON . This is an interesting week because there are so many choices. Do you pick someone with momentum or one who has played well here? My choice is Thompson, the U.S. Open runner-up, who tied for fourth at last year's Travelers. Brian Wacker HUNTER MAHAN . He won there in 2007, was a runner-up in 2008 and 2009 and is in the midst of arguably his best season on TOUR. Mahan is also sixth in GIR and in the top 25 in scoring -- both key numbers for TPC River Highlands. If Wacker had the top pick ... Mahan Amanda Balionis FREDRIK JACOBSON . Jacobson has been hitting his peak at just the right time to defend his title -- when he finished 20 under at TPC River Highlands. The Swede is coming off three top-30 finishes in his past four weeks including a T15 at the US Open. If Balionis had the top pick ... Jacobson John Swantek MATT KUCHAR . A model of consistency once again this season with seven top-15 finishes in 13 starts, good for seventh place in the FedExCup. No reason why that trend doesn't continue in his first appearance in Hartford since 2008. If Swantek had the top pick ... Kuchar John Schwarb RYAN MOORE . How does a respectable season so far (55th in FedExCup points, three top-10s) turn great for Moore? By finally getting it done at TPC River Highlands. He has two T2s here, including last year. C'mon, Ryan, get me out of the Picks doldrums. If Schwarb had the top pick ... Moore Lauren Deason JOHN PETERSON . Peterson's magical U.S. Open run - complete with his first hole-in-one and a T4 finish - will give him confidence this week. He's a promising young golfer who won the 2011 NCAA men's individual golf championship - watch out for him in the future. If Deason had the top pick ... Peterson Anne Szeker ZACH JOHNSON . Johnson has been playing well enough to turn this into a multiple-win season, and it could start this week. He's got four top-25s at TPC River Highlands in six starts. If Szeker had the top pick ... Moore Mike McAllister PADRAIG HARRINGTON . He has three top-10 finishes this season and is coming off a T4 at the U.S. Open. He's eighth in scoring average, and also finished T5 here in 2010. Plus, Harrington is a solid sand player on a course that has 119 bunkers. If McAllister had the top pick ... Harrington Chris Dunham WEBB SIMPSON . A couple guys still out there I really like but I'll roll the dice against a major letdown. Simpson has 13 sub-70 rounds here including eight of his last nine. The U.S. Open champ said his game got better last week and I hope that trend continues. If Dunham had the top pick ... Mahan Ryan Smithson BRIAN DAVIS . For TPC River Highlands, length does not matter much, which is why a 51-year-old Corey Pavin was in a playoff with Bubba Watson. I like Davis because he's a great iron player. If Smithson had the top pick ... Moore Bill Cooney BO VAN PELT . Can't believe Van Pelt is still on the board here. Easy pick. He's had five top 25s in nine events here and knows how to go low on a course that yields tons of birdies. Five top 10s this year and fourth in Strokes Gained-Putting. If Cooney had the top pick ... Van Pelt

[k-troop]

Somebody has to comment on this thread!!  Mahan's 61 was sick, and he didn't get a birdie until his sixth hole.  Charlie Hoffman's collapse was also sick--reminded me of the many glorious collapses which happened early in the season.

I was impressed with Webb Simpson's play over the week.  He met week-after-winning-the-Open expectations on Sunday.  The first three days he far exceeded expectations.

Kuchar turns in yet another solid week.  If his average week is a top-15, then he has to win at least one or two more this season.

[brocks]

Somebody has to comment on this thread!!

The Needle wasn't playing. Face it, now that Tiger is back to a full time schedule, and is evidently getting his game back, events without him are just place holders.

[stoverny]

Originally Posted by brocks

The Needle wasn't playing. Face it, now that Tiger is back to a full time schedule, and is evidently getting his game back, events without him are just place holders.

Ha place holders might be a little harsh, but if nothing else it does show how boring 99% of the pro golfers are.  Take Bubba out of the Travelers mix and it's a total snooze-fest.

[Infamous 273]

i hope paddy can continue this recent upward trend; it'd be nice to see him in peak form for the open championship.  he had a great up and down on 18 yesterday.

[Dave2512]

Good finish, very exciting to see the leaders come in. Charlie's collapse was brutal and proof that every stroke counts. A couple of guys are likely regretting the missed putts that would have got them to -14. I was very surprised it ended without a playoff.

[RonTheSavage]

This was the first tournament of the year that was on in my house on Sunday and I didnt really pay attention. My son was asleep, my wife actually left me alone and I was laying on the couch reading. US Open Hangover I guess.....

[Beachcomber]

I didn't get to see the tournament.  How did Charlie Hoffman collapse like he did?  I thought he had the win after the 14th when he had - what a 3 stroke lead?

[JaxGolfer1]

Have to admit it, if Tropical Storm Debbie wasn't in town I would have been on the links instead of on the couch watching this Charley Hoffman train wreck. That said, painful to watch but great to see Leishman get his first PGA win.

[Dave2512]

The double on 17 was his undoing. He was broken glass after that.

[Infamous 273]

is there footage of hoffman's shot into the water?  he was almost parallel with the ladies tees when he dropped.  i'm not sure if it was kostis or mccord, but they claimed he was 240 something out after his drop, then after he blew the green with his 3rd, they said something like, "oh, it was just 205."  i wonder if his caddie gave him the correct yardage?

[Dave2512]

He spent a long time contemplating that shot. He personally paced around with his book in hand for several minutes while they waiting for the group in front to finish. If he blew the yardage he played a part in it. I think the ball just came out hot. Those funky lies have a tendency to make people overswing thinking they won't make good contact. He took a good whack at it.

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by brocks

The Needle wasn't playing. Face it, now that Tiger is back to a full time schedule, and is evidently getting his game back, events without him are just place holders.

Or maybe it's just not the US Open.  Mr. Needle is teeing it up tomorrow, and I don't see an AT&T; National thread with six pages of comments.  But maybe everyone is preoccupied with talking about the Wal-Mart NW Arkansas Classic, because we already have a thread started about that one.

[Timothy Voyles]

I watched more BMW footage than pga this weekend... Rainball was interesting for some reason.