The Course Report
TPC River Highlands
About TPC River Highlands
TPC River Highlands will host the Traveler’s Championship for the 38th consecutive year. This course is unique on the PGA Tour. For one, it was completely re-done in 1982 by Pete Dye, and once again was dismantled again and re-configured in 1987 by Bobby Weed. Yet, the most impressive aspect of its mainstay on the PGA Tour is the fact that the course is one of the shortest. Recent equipment changes continue to cause concerns even at courses like Augusta National, but TPC River Highlands never seems to enter the conversation thanks to its rolling fairways, massive Oak, Sycamore and White Pine Trees, and greens that are very small when compared to the average size on PGA Tour.
Ultimately what this says to us is that ball striking and approach are a premium for success here. It also helps to start your tee shot in the fairway. Scramblers need not apply here. This course needs precision approach, ball flight, and control to dominate the field. This provides a strong rationale as to why Bubba Watson has won here three times in his career, Mickelson twice, and Cink twice as well. If you ignore the top-spot, there are plenty of golfer’s that have found continuous success at this track.
It is important to note that even though there were modifications in ’87, this is still true to Pete Dye courses. Highlighting those players that play well on his designs, as well as those that produce on short courses. It isn’t surprising that we see a high correlation between this course and Harbour Town. No matter who you look to roster or gamble on this week make sure that the golfer can score.
In 2020, DJ won this tournament at -19. If you look at the past ten years, the average score for the winner was -17. Don’t ignore the fact that these golfers are going to have score in every round to win this tournament. We have seen massive combacks on Sunday, so everyone is in conetention even when you see a leader shoot a rediculous sub 68 on a Saturday. The lesson here is that no lead is safe, and the best player over 4 rounds will win the championship.
Architect: Pete Dye (1982), Bobby Weed (1984)
Greens: Bent Grass with Poa Annua
Green Size: 5,000 sq.ft., smaller greens
Stimpmeter: 11+, faster than average
Length: 6,841 Yards – Par 70
Water Hazards: 5 Holes
Bunkers: 70
Weather Forecast
Nuggets and Tidbits
- There is not limit to skill set success here at TPC River Highlands. Players of all types have had success here.
- You need to have accuracy off the tee to win here. Being in the fairway is a strong measurement of success here.
- Two Par-5’s are the easiest scoring opportunities.
- No matter what other stats you’re looking at…ball striking, ball striking, ball striking.
- Weighting course history this week will be beneficial.
- Total Driving or Fairways Gained will be more accurate in your breakdown of players you want to consider for this week. If you are looking at SG: OTT, make sure to consider the length of the course as this Pete Dye track is pretty short.
- The lowest round ever at TPC River Highlands is the record setting 58 scored by Jim Furyk in 2016…did someone say SG: Old?
- 15-18 might be the most fantastic finishing holes in terms of risk versus reward in the entire PGA tournament rotation.
- Most approach shots will land between 125-175 yards.
Approach Shot Distribution
Past Winners
English and Hickok went to a playoff, and English came out the winner. One of the most exciting tournaments of the 2021 season, a series of clutch birdie putts by both competitors was such a fun Sunday.
This tournament was a shoot out as both Brendon Todd and Dustin Johnson both shot career-best 61’s in round 3. However it was Johnson who simply played better on Sunday to get him victory.
Even with his 61 on Saturday, this was not an easy win for DJ. Streelman finished only one stroke behind, and plenty of others were nipping at his heals.
Reavie used a dominat 3rd round score of 63 to propel himself to his second career win on the PGA Tour.
It never seemed close as Reavie won the tournament by 4-strokes and never lost a spot in the top-10 all weekend.
2018 marked a historick comeback for Watson. Entering Sunday’s final round 6 strokes behind the leader, he was able to shoot an incredible 63 and jump from 6th place to 1st.
Paul Casey entered Sunday and was 4-strokes ahead of the field. An abysmal 72 ended any hopes of capturing the tournament win. It was rough for Casey being that in 2015 he lost in a playoff to Watson.
This was a milestone for Spieth as he became just the second player in golf’s modern era with 10 TOUR victories before the age of 24. This win didn’t come easy.
Spieth was off on Sunday, and Daniel Berger forced a playoff by shooting a solid 67. Speith birdied the first extra hole and was awarded the championship.
A 12-foot par putt on the 18th holes was enough to outlast Jerry Kelly by a shot.
Knox finished the tournament -14, in spite of the fact that Daniel Berger was a 54-hole leader and Jim Furyk shot a 58, the first in PGA TOUR history.
Streelman closed out the final round with 7 straight birdies, which highlighted his back 9 score of 28.
This was Streelman’s second win on the PGA TOUR, and it was well earned. There were plenty of scorers who had the opportunity to win, and none closer than Sergio Garcia. When it was all finsihed, Streelman was the victor.
Sunday began with Bubba Watson, Charley Hoffman and Graham DeLaet tied for the lead at -10. That would all change by the start of the afternoon.
Ken Duke and Chris Stroud fought tooth and nail for first place, and Stroud even chipped in a birdie on 18 to force a playoff. Duke’s birdie on playoff hole 2 secured the win.
Leishman was dialed in on Sunday as the Aussie shot a bogey-free 62 in the final round to win the tournament by one stroke.
Entering Sunday, Leishamn was 6-storkes behind the leader, but played well enough to get his first win on the PGA TOUR.