Travelers Championship: Spieth trending upwards, but Brian Keogh has three outsider picks

A bridge too far?

Ten of the world's top 20 are in action in the Travelers Championship, and while it's tempting to look at world number one Scottie Scheffler (favourite at 11), Rory McIlroy (11.5) and Justin Thomas (13) as the likely lads, the gruelling US Open at Brookline may have been a bridge too far for most.

McIlroy will be playing his fourth event in a row after contending for the PGA Championship and the US Open either side of his win in the RBC Canadian Open, and may well have one eye on some rest in Ireland next week as he prepares for The Open.

That points to Patrick Cantlay (14), tied 14th at The Country Club, as the most likely star to shine at TPC River Highlands near Hartford.

Burns can light it up

But we'll go for Sam Burns (20) as he chases his fifth PGA Tour win since capturing the Valspar Championship for the first time last year.

While Burns slipped from contention to tied 27th at Brookline following a 76 on Sunday, he's made the cut in his three starts at the Travelers, finishing tied 13th behind Harris English last year.

While Jordan Spieth (28) is another player trending upwards as The Open approaches, Rookie of the Year contender Davis Riley (40) has four top 10s from his last nine starts and already gaining serious attention this week as he chases his maiden PGA Tour win.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is the favourite to win the Travelers Championship

Power play

We're looking for better value than that, and Ireland's Séamus Power (42) looks like a man ready to notch his second PGA Tour victory as he approaches the first anniversary of his breakthrough win in the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky.

Tied 12th in the US Open last week after some brilliant putting, he represents good value at TPC River Highlands, which is a course he says he likes, having finished tied 19th last year.
Power has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the game from outside the top 400 in the world 13 months ago to a career-high of 36th this week.

Australia's Marc Leishman (46) won this title in 2012 and was third last year, making him an interesting pick, while Joel Dahmen (90), who contended at the US Open before finishing tied 10th after weekend rounds of 74 and 71, is another player who can shine here. Although at 6,852 yards, par 70, TPC River Highlands is another demanding test that does not overly favour the bombers.

"I can hit it with the best of them," Dahmen said in Boston. "I learned that, especially on a course like this where you have to hit it in the fairway and it's not overly long. I think I was one of the best ball-strikers over the four days."

Recommends bets

Sam Burns @ 20

Davis Riley @ 40

Séamus Power @ 42 

Joel Dahmen @ 90