@Jerry Kutz any chance Seminole Boosters and FSU might be interested in luring the Jaguars to play in Tallahassee in 2027? Would be a great boost to FSU and Tallahassee, and hopefully bring in additional revenue.

Congrats to the recent FSU grad:

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Growing up an FSU fan, it made sense to Gavin Nix that his final official visit would be to FSU. The 4-star LB relished the chance to spend time with Mike Norvell, Randy Shannon and Ernie Sims on his official visit and now will decide between FSU, Miami and Oregon.

The Travelers Championship returns to TPC River Highlands for another Signature event in the 2024 PGA TOUR season. Find bigger golf odds at the best sports betting sites to increase your potential payouts. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele project as the favorites for this year’s Travelers Championship.
The Signature Events keep on coming, and true to the PGA TOUR’s 2024 vision, they’ll look to continue momentum from last week’s U.S. Open into the 2024 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Sportsbooks have already dropped Travelers Championship betting options for this weekend.
The electric crowd atmosphere never disappoints in Connecticut. Although a par-70, TPC River Highlands offers ample birdie opportunities and true tests that reward the best ball strikers.
As the conversations surrounding rolling back modern golf ball technology, TPC River Highlands is a quintessential example of why this has become so necessary. Time has passed this 6,835 yard course by, as what was once a quintessential plodders paradise has fallen victim to the bomb-and-gouge approach. Longer hitters have begun to cut off angles, going over the top of this tree-lined layout for ample driver-wedge birdie opportunities. Even still, Pete Dye’s TPC River Highlands continues to reward elite ball strikers who bring a streaky putter into tournament week.
Let’s run through the key facts and info about TPC River Highlands ahead of the 2024 Travelers Championship.

BEST GOLF BETTING SPORTSBOOK BONUS CODES​

We’ve assembled the best sportsbook promo codes for golf betting here. If you do not have an account at one of these sportsbooks, it’s worth locking in the sign-up offer before you place any golf bets this week. Most will give you back bonus bets if you lose your first wager.

TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS: THE FAVORITES​

Scroll to the bottom for complete outright odds. Here are the favorites with odds shorter than 20-1 when sportsbooks release them Monday.

THE FIELD AT A GLANCE​

The PGA TOUR’s best will remain on the east coast for one more week, with a short trip from Pinehurst to New England next on deck. The Travelers has always been a favorite amongst PGA TOUR players, and has gained some serious momentum since the fragmentation of the PGA TOUR and LIV. Tapped with Signature Event status, virtually of the PGA TOUR’s best will flock to Cromwell, Connecticut with an electric Northeast crowd awaiting.
Of the top-50 eligible OWGR players, all inside the top-30 will be in the field this week. Min Woo Lee and Nicolai Hojgaard are the only eligible players who have elected to skip. That means we have yet another loaded field headlined by Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, and Ludvig Åberg to look forward to. Each of these PGA TOUR stars return in great recent form with proven past high finishes at this event.
New England’s own, Keegan Bradley is back to return his 2023 Travelers Championship victory after an emotional win here last year in front of a supportive crowd. Xander Schauffele and Harris English also represent past Travelers Championship winners set to tee it up in this limited field event.

INTRODUCTION TO TPC RIVER HIGHLANDS​

A bit less speculation and guesswork lies ahead for the Travelers Championship than the last few weeks. The confines of TPC River Highlands bring plenty of familiarity. This year marks the Travelers’ 72nd year on the schedule with TPC River Highlands hosting since 1984.
If we affectionately refer to the WM Phoenix Open as “The People’s Open,” then we may want to dub the Travelers “The People’s Championship.” Attendance ranks second only to TPC Scottsdale each year. That adds a stadium atmosphere and makes for an exhilarating viewing experience down the final stretch. The Travelers doesn’t have the pedigree of the Genesis, but it’s done an excellent job of attracting the game’s best players – a credit to the energy created each year. It’s no coincidence that for that reason, The Travelers has been tapped as a Signature Event for the second consecutive year, continuing the momentum from last week’s U.S. Open with another loaded field with heightened stakes.
Playoffs have been a mainstay at The Travelers, with five contests extending beyond regulation over the last 13 years. In addition to the marathon between English and Hickok in 2021, the 18th sets the scene for many infamous “walk-off” hole outs, notably from Spieth in 2017.
Patrick Cantlay’s breakout moment came on these grounds in 2011 when he shot the course record 60 as an amateur, still in college at UCLA. That record did not last long, however, as Jim Furyk came back in 2016 and fired a 58. Mackenzie Hughes also opened the 2020 Travelers with a Thursday 60. This course can be a birdie maker’s dream when the irons and putter click. Despite all the low single-round scores, 2023 marked the only instance over the last 11 years in which the winning score surpassed -20.

For TPC River Highlands course specs, hole-by-hole breakdown with yardages, and past Travelers Championship winners with their pre-tournament odds, visit our Travelers Championship odds page.
Editor’s Note

Click to expand...

COURSE HISTORY AND COURSE COMPS​

Course History is stickier at TPC River Highlands than the average TOUR course. I’m beginning my research by striking through any players who failed to post a top-40 finish in their prior starts. Course specialists used similar game plans each year to produce consistent results and find themselves in contention.
Looking at the recent Travelers results, six players have multiple T15 finishes over the last five years. That list includes: Rory McIlroy, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler, Keegan Bradley, and Jason Day. Generally speaking, strong iron play prevails, judging from this group, but the varying profiles of players who found repeated success here suggests that there are many different ways to attack this course.
Eight players avoided missing the cut in each of the last five years (min. three appearances): Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Andrew Putnam, Patrick Cantlay, Mackenzie Hughes, Harris English, and Sungjae Im.
The top 10 players in terms of overall course history at TPC River Highlands are: Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley, Scottie Scheffler, Sahith Theegala, Jason Day, and Russell Henley.

Course Comps​

Short positional courses are a dime a dozen on the PGA TOUR. They tend to bring the most correlation from a comp standpoint, with similar emphasis on position off the tee and separation with short-to-middle irons. In the case of TPC River Highlands, many other courses of a similar profile have proven themselves indicators of success.

Strongest Comparisons​

Colonial CC seems the top comp in my eyes. It features the exact same average green size and rough length, plays under 7,200 yards, and uses heavy tree lining to force positional layups off the tee. Spieth has won at both events, and Kevin Kisner, Zach Johnson, Harris English and Brooks Koepka have each also found repeated success at both.
TPC Deere Run is another great comp course. It also plays as short and positionally on similar Bentgrass greens with a layout which rewards a combination of SG: OTT and Birdies or Better Gained. TPC courses bring plenty of design consistency, and the philosophy of a fan-friendly atmosphere with ample scoring opportunities should translate.
Of all the Pete Dye comps, the presence of penal rough and ample hazards has me lean towards TPC Sawgrass as the top one. Harbour Town also serves as a solid reference and has been a strong indictor earlier in the season.

Other Course Comps​

If we use Bubba Watson as a barometer for course fit (he has three wins here) then Riviera CC, Innisbrook Resort, and (to a lesser extent) TPC Scottsdale also stand as interesting reference points.
Given the recency, positional emphasis, and same Bent-Poa northeast greens, Oakdale Golf & Country Club – host of the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago – also serves as a reliable comp course.
Combine performance across this list and the top 10 players in Comp Course History here are: Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Åberg, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Sam Burns, Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas, and Sungjae Im.

KEY STATS TO CONSIDER WITH TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS​

• SG: OTT
• SG: APP
• Birdies or Better Gained
• SG: ARG
• Prox 125-175
• SG: T2G (<7,200-Yard Courses)
• Par 4: 400-450 / Par: 4: 0-350
• SG: TOT (Pete Dye Courses)
• SG: Putting (Bent & Poa)
• Course & Comp Course History

It’s easy to look at a 6,841-yard par-70 Pete Dye course and deduce that accuracy holds high importance. That holds true at a surface level, as players like Chez Reavie, Ryan Moore, and Brian Harman showed us many times that a lack of distance doesn’t leave a player at a huge disadvantage here. But having distance does set up players for success, more so than you might expect at the other positional courses on TOUR.
In recent weeks, there’s been an emphasis on the importance of Total Driving (Driving Accuracy + Driving Distance) in lieu of SG: OTT. This week, I’m going heavy on SG: OTT. The top-10 players in SG: OTT entering this week are: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Wyndham Clark, and Byeong Hun An.
Any short Pete Dye course puts an emphasis on iron play. Just behind SG: OTT for me this week is SG: APP. The top-10 entering this event are: Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners, Tom Hoge, Xander Schauffele, Shane Lowry, Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Ludvig Åberg, and Si Woo Kim.
Given Pete Dye’s tricky green-side complexes, SG: ARG still ranks highly, despite the high volume of birdies expected. Just nine players rank top-30 in both SG: Ball Striking and SG: ARG – Hideki Matsuyama, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Andrew Putnam, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Si Woo Kim, and Adam Hadwin.

Birdies And Specific Distances​

We don’t normally find so many holes at one course concentrated to one range. This week, we see eight holes funneled between 400-450 yards. Those who excel from this range should have a leg up. That top 10 includes: Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Stephan Jaeger, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, Hideki Matsuyama, and Tommy Fleetwood.
Coinciding with this funneled hole distribution, there is a significant concentration of approaches from 125-175 yards, with nearly 50% of approaches coming from this range. The top 10 mid-to-short iron players in this week’s field are: Scottie Scheffler, Chris Kirk, Matthieu Pavon, Wyndham Clark, Kurt Kitayama, Adam Schenk, Andrew Putnam, Chris Gotterup, Russell Henley, and Seamus Power.
With so many low individual scores posted over the years, TPC River Highlands has become a birdie maker’s delight. It presents a great opportunity for streaky players to separate themselves if the irons and putter click. The top 10 players to keep an eye on for Birdies or Better Gained are: Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, Byeong Hun An, Ben Griffin, Xander Schauffele, Corey Conners, Tom Hoge, and Ludvig Åberg.
To summarize, I’m looking for players who excel in Prox. 125-175 and Par-4: 400-450 scoring, and also possess above average history at TPC River Highlands as well as other comp courses. Ten players meet that criteria: Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Ludvig Åberg, Russell Henley, Sahith Theegala, Viktor Hovland, and Hideki Matsuyama.

Correlations​

Looking at the correlation charts this week, we see quite a few stat categories that profile TPC River Highlands as a unique test compared to the average PGA TOUR course. Par-3 Scoring, Par-5 Scoring, and P4: 450-500 have proven less consequential at this event, and each falls from their usual place in the top 10.
The number of short par 4s means we instead see a premium concentrated on P4: 400-450 and P4: 0-350. Ten holes play between these two ranges, so players who take advantage should position themselves to stockpile the most birdie chances.
Just outside the top 10, we notably see Driving Distance and Doubles Avoided bringing historical success. Distance does not come to mind on a 6,800-yard course, but it’s proven a very good “nice to have” for players like Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day, and Charley Hoffman historically at TPC River Highlands. Doubles Avoided also feels like a tertiary stat. But, on a course that baits you into taking shots over hazards and forces layups from tee shots that fall out of position, it makes sense that we want players who keep big numbers off of their cards.
Top-10 Correlated Stats with SG: TOTTop-10 Correlated States with SG: TOT at TPC River Highlands
Just five players in the field rank above average in each of the above 10 key stat categories: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland, and Sahith Theegala.


Congratulations again to last week's winners @FSU & Golf @RancheroNole and @Bobcat07

Mrs. BFT maintains the overall season lead

FSU played host to 19 prospects on official visits this weekend. We will catch up with as many of them as we can for post visit interviews. This thread will be updated throughout the morning and early afternoon.

FSU sports information:

Former Florida State student-athlete Emma Terebo punched her ticket to the Olympic Games by winning two backstroke events at the 2024 French Elite Championships.

On June 17, Terebo set a new French national record in the 100-meter back, touching at 58.79 for gold, turning in the ninth-fastest time in the world this year.

Terebo added the 200 back to her Olympics list, winning with a time of 2:08.53. Her best time this year (2:08.45) ranks within the top 16 in the world this year. She also placed third in the 50 back (27.90).

Terebo swam under the Olympic qualification times in the 100 back (59.99) and 200 back (2:10.39), earning a bid to her first Olympics.

A member of the FSU women’s team from 2017-21, Terebo competed at three NCAA Championships. She holds three individual top 10 times in program history and led off the women’s 200 free relay to a program record (1:28.49) in 2017.

Terebo represented France at the 2022 and 2023 World Aquatics Championships, finishing fifth in the 100 back (59.98) and 12th in the 200 back (2:11.77) in 2022 in Budapest, Hungary.

With Peter Varjasi (Germany) and Terebo’s qualification to Paris, 27 athletes with ties to FSU swimming and diving have made the Olympics, representing 20 different countries. Terebo is the first FSU swimmer to represent France at the Games.

The Seminoles have been represented at every Games since 1996 and also contributed athletes in 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1988.

The Swimming portion of the Olympics will start on July 27 at the Paris La Defense Arena.

Four-star tight end Hollis Davidson was at FSU for the second time since decommitting from Auburn over the weekend.

After reflecting on his "great" FSU official visit, he now enters decision mode between FSU, UF and Auburn sometime in the next few weeks.

One of the most important outcomes of the weekend so far, Javion Hilson is shutting down his recruitment.
https://floridastate.rivals.com/new...hilson-shuts-down-recruitment-sticks-with-fsu

FSU sports information:

Two-time national champion Jody Brown has signed a professional contract with four-time Portuguese league champions S.L. Benfica on Thursday. This marks the eighth Seminole from the 2023 national championship team to be signed by a professional team.

Brown scored seven goals and five assists in her 20 starts in the 2023 season. She earned All-ACC honors in all four years of playing and was named a United Soccer Coaches All-American in 2022 and 2023.

Throughout her Seminole career, she racked up over 4,500 minutes of playing time with 78 appearances and 60 starts for the Garnet and Gold, scoring 24 goals and adding 25 assists for 73 points. She scored seven goals with five assists in NCAA Tournament play.

She authored several magical moments for the Seminoles between scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Florida in 2023, scoring the game-winning goal in the 2022 ACC Championship over North Carolina, and scoring two goals in the 5-1 victory in the latest National Championship Game over Stanford.

Brown finishes her career littered across the program record books. She finished tied for fifth in game-winning goals (11), tied for seventh in total assists (25), eighth in multi-goal games (5), and ninth in total points (73).

The Jamaican international has made 23 caps for the Reggae Girlz and has seven appearances in the previous two FIFA Women’s World Cups, including starting in all four matches of the 2023 edition. She currently sits eighth on the all-time Jamaican cap list and tied for fourth on the all-time Jamaican scoring list at 11 goals.

Defensive end prospect Nicolas Clayton has committed to Wisconsin this afternoon. He made his decision just a little bit over 48 hours after having finished his official visit to Florida State.

I really liked his film and thought it would be a good take on its own merits. However, this is a numbers game and most likely means a couple of things.
One, they feel really good about Javion Hilson's commitment.

And two, the think they are going to get either Zion Grady, Jared Smith or Jalen Wiggins to commit. It is possible that they could end up with two of those three prospects. My opinion is that FSU would have taken a commitment from Clayton if it didn't feel it was getting at least two of the four aforementioned prospects.

The other component of this that works in FSU's favor is that if for some reason they were not able to get two of those four players, the Seminoles can take another shot with Clayton. Staying in-state would be a great selling point if Norvell and company decided to try and flip Clayton this fall.

FSU sports information:

Florida State jumper Jeremiah Davis and FSU alum Issac Grimes advanced to the final of the men’s long jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials with their performances Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

In round one, Grimes finished fifth at 7.96m (26-1 ½). Davis followed in ninth with a mark of 7.88m (25-10 ¼), advancing to the final.

Dajaz DeFrand concluded her sophomore season in the 100-meter dash semifinal round, placing 16th with a time of 11.26.

Davis and Grimes will compete in the long jump final on Monday at 8:25 p.m. ET. Tyson Williams will compete alongside former FSU standout Trey Cunningham in the first round of the 110-meter hurdles, which is set to begin at 8:50 p.m. ET.

Four-star offensive lineman Josh Petty wrapped up a busy month of official visits at FSU this weekend. He left campus this morning capable of seeing himself at FSU and getting sold on becoming a Seminole by his sister who is enrolling at FSU this fall.

Safeties-2026
Dominick Kelly: Chaminade (FL) 6’1-170 (2026): Crazy to think Kelly has transferred to Chaminade. A team already loaded with talent landed the top defensive back in the class of 2026. He is committed to USC at this time but that won't stop everyone in the country from recruiting him. Kelly is a very impressive athlete. He displays both range and versatility. You can play him at multiple positions in the secondary. Now that he is out of Tampa maybe FSU will have a shot.

Tedarius Hughes: South Dade-6’2-170 (2026): FSU offered Hughes this spring and they are the leader for his services. He is a big time talent. FSU has had success in the past recruiting players out of Homestead. Hughes has both size and length. He is another prospect that could end up growing into a linebacker.

Ayden Pouncey: Winter Park-6’3-170 (2026): This family has produced three D1 athletes over the past decade. Ayden is the most talented of all the prospects. His size and length cause receivers problems. He gets into the passing lanes and knocks passes down. He can sit on the hash and cover a ton of ground.

Jordan Smith –Houston County (GA) 6’2-180 (2026); Smith fits the trend of defensive backs FSU is now recruiting. He is big, long and athletic. He plays both strong and free safety. You can have him sit in center field and Smith will watch the quarterback’s eyes. If you throw across the middle late, Smith will make you pay. He can tackle well. You will see him come up in run support. He is fluid for a big guy. He has very good feet. You will see him position himself very well. You can also bring him on a blitz and get pressure on the quarterback.

Jonatavius Wyman-Jonesboro HS (GA) 6’1-175 (2026) Wyman can line up at safety or corner. He is another versatile defensive back FSU has offered. He does well at recognizing what the offense is trying to do. He has good football instincts. You will see him come up and get under a receiver trying to block him and make a negative play for the opposing offense.

Cortez Redding-Jonesboro HS (GA) 6’0-170 (2026): Cortez plays strong safety. Like to see him play more than one position. This kid can flat out hit. He will come up and knock a ball carrier backwards. When he hits someone they go backwards. You will see him back in coverage but that his strength. He is very physical. This kid would have been called a ROVER in the Mickey Andrews defense.

Safeties-2027
Kemon Spell: Mckeesport HS (PA) 5’10-170 (2027): FSU does not go up north very often for defensive backs. When they do they have had success with them. This kid plays on both sides of the football. You will see him break off long runs on offense. He will return kicks on special teams. He has speed and quickness. Kid looks like the film is sped up. He is someone that could end up a very good player at the next level.

Dolph McDonald: Morton HS-(MS) 6’1-160 (2027) Eventually FSU will break through in the Magnolia State. McDonald was very productive last year. He had 7 interceptions. He has good ball skills. You will see him read the quarterbacks eyes and react quickly. He has range. He can get up and knock passes down that other defensive backs cant. He can play corner or safety. He is someone that is going to draw a ton of offers.

CB
Jaydin Broadnax: West Boca HS (FL) 6’3-175 (2026): Listed as a three star prospect. Don't believe he will be ranked that low for much longer. Big, long and athletic. We have talked about the trend of corners FSU is looking at and this kid checks all the boxes. He performed very well against Vero Beach in their spring game and after FSU coaches watched him live, offered Jaydin.

Dorian Barney: Carrollton HS (GA) 6’1-170 (2026) Committed to Alabama: Barney is a lock down corner. He is also very aggressive on defense. You will see him react very quickly on defense. He is very fluid in his hips. You will see him open up and run with receivers and have no hesitation. He does very well in off coverage. You will see him jam a receiver, come off his guy and tackle someone else. He has the size and range to play anywhere in the secondary.

Jordan Crutchfield: Westwood HS (FL) 6’3-175 not shocked by this offer. Jordan is another prospect I had the chance to watch this spring and came away impressed. He is listed at 6'3 and is probably that size. He is a little on the thin side but should be able to add the necessary weight. Very good athlete. In his spring game, Jordan played both receiver and corner. He showed good ball skills. He can adjust to the ball in the air. He has the ability to change direction. Bigger defensive backs are not so fluid. Westwood best player was Khalil Mack. Jordan could be the next best prospect to come out of Westwood.

2027 Offers
Cansere Gaylord: IMG Academy: 6’0-170 (2027): Holds big time offers early and you can see why. He has pretty good size for a corner. You will see he has very quick feet. He is someone that can recover quickly if beaten on a play. He comes up and tackles well. He does not give up on plays. You will see him come across the field to tackle someone.

Florida State donors entered Doak Campbell Stadium and were in awe: An under-construction west sideline showed plenty of progress but also work ahead in the next six weeks on the first phase of the project.

And then they grabbed Sharpies and signed a long, steel beam that was lifted by a crane and bolted into place at the 20-yard line of Doak's north end zone. Many wrote “Go Noles!” and then signed their names with the date, 6-22-2024. From small children lifted up onto a parent’s shoulders to ticket holders who have spent decades of Saturdays watching FSU football games, the moment was an appreciation of their commitment toward the future of the program.

“You look for times where you could thank them for their belief in our vision,” FSU athletics director Michael Alford said. “The beam-signing, we did it at Cowboys Stadium, we did it at Oklahoma when we did that facility. For them to have an opportunity to come and sign that beam and be a piece of history forever in historic Doak Campbell Stadium, it really means a lot. They get a lot out of it. The fellowship, watching this event take place is really something special.”

After a breakthrough 2024 season, FSU will have some lineup holes to fill in 2025 but looks positioned to have a very strong pitching staff.

Here's an early look at the 2025 FSU baseball team ahead of next month's MLB Draft which could shake things up.

Florida State president Richard McCullough spoke at the Board of Trustees' meeting on Thursday afternoon. Among his updates was a visit with some of the leaders of the AAU in March. FSU's pursuit of AAU accreditation has been a focal point dating back to the presidential interviews in 2021.

I hadn't heard this mentioned by McCullough, and thought his explanation about how FSU is positioned toward attaining AAU status was interesting, too.

"We’re a left-brain, right-brain institution with really strong arts, humanities and social sciences, and at the same time really great science," McCullough said. "When you take a metric of research expenditures and you divide it by the number of faculty, that number is going to look very different if you’re at Cal Tech, where you’re only science, or even a Georgia Tech vs. an FSU. We’re a very broad university. Telling that story is important. The meeting went really well.

"Florida State is a story of momentum. And as we continue to grow in research and excellence, we’re moving into the realm of being a university that they’ll want to look at for AAU."

McCullough also discussed the FSU-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare partnership. FSU shared some details back in April here:

From him:

I'll have a story later today but here's a short video interview with Michael Alford on the Doak Campbell Stadium project:

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