We have free golf! A Monday playoff is in store to conclude the 2026 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, CT.
Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler will play Hole 18 repeatedly until a champion emerges.
Here is my pick and Travelers Championship Playoff best bet.
Travelers Championship Playoff Best Bet
Viktor Hovland (+118 at DraftKings)
There is no denying that Scheffler is the deserved favorite. He is the best golfer in the world and arguably the most dominant player on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods.
That said, there is reason to believe Hovland can emerge victorious on Monday morning. Even if he doesn't, he has a better chance than the +118 odds suggest.
Hovland is a proven winner on the PGA Tour, with nine career victories, including the 2023 FedExCup title. While Scheffler’s resume is stronger, Hovland has shown he can win on the biggest stages against elite competition.
Hovland will have another opportunity in Monday’s playoff, and the format works in his favor. Over an 18-hole sample, Scheffler would be a much heavier favorite.
However, a sudden-death format increases volatility, which inherently benefits the underdog. The playoff hole is No. 18, which Hovland has played at 2-under par this week.
He has yet to make a bogey on the hole, recording two birdies across four rounds. Meanwhile, Scheffler has played the same hole at 1-over par this week without a birdie.
Hovland also played the hole well in Sunday’s final round. Both players made par, but he narrowly missed a birdie putt, while Scheffler converted a clutch par putt from approximately eight feet to force the Monday finish.
Hovland has consistently performed on this hole all week, and while he is rightly priced as the underdog, he is worth backing to secure his 10th PGA Tour victory in what projects as closer to a coin flip in this one-hole playoff.
