Golf best bets: Expert bets for Travelers Championship Round 2 at TPC River Highlands

We've been crushing our round matchup bets all year, so we're running it back for the second round of the Travelers Championship. With Round 1 from TPC River Highlands in the books, let's take a look at two matchups we're eyeing up for Round 2. 

Round 2 matchup: Corey Conners > Tom Kim (-120 DraftKings)

We're on Kim to win the Travelers Championship at 55-1, so we're as thrilled as anyone that he jumped out to the early lead with an 8-under 62. That being said, we have no problem fading him with a matchup bet in Round 2.

Kim couldn't miss on the greens in the first round, as he ranked third in the field in strokes gained from putting. The South Korean is one of the streakiest putters on the PGA Tour, so we're expecting him to take a step back with the flatstick in Round 2. As for Conners, he inexplicably lost strokes on approach in the first round and still managed to shoot a 3-under 67. The Canadian ranks second on Tour this season in strokes gained on approach and hasn't lost strokes in that area since the 2023 Open Championship. Conners should have a bounce-back day with his irons in Round 2. 

Round 2 matchup: Nick Taylor > Harris English (+120 DK)

This is a surprising price considering how the first round played out between these two. Taylor beat English by two strokes on Thursday and vastly outplayed him from a ball-striking perspective. The Canadian ranked third in the field in strokes gained on approach, while English ranked 57th out of 70 players in the same metric. That's no surprise, as English has lost strokes with his irons in three straight starts leading in.

Taylor should've scored better than his 2-under 68, too. He lost strokes from around the green and putting, and his chipping had been excellent for the last month before this tournament. If Taylor has another solid ball-striking day and turns around his short game, he could put up a low number on Friday.