As far as attracting big name players the John Deere Classic is in a difficult spot. Played before The Open in the past, a move back on the calendar should have opened it up. But with a lot of players making the short trip from Boston to Cromwell to play in last week’s Travelers, this week is one of rest ahead of a trip to Scotland. So, once again the field is thinned out but there is plenty at stake for those pegging it up at TPC Deere Run. One player giving it a go is returning champ Lucas Glover, who won by two swings with a closing 64. Glover is further down the odds board behind betting favorite Daniel Berger and Webb Simpson, the only two with odds shorter than 20/1. A number of rising stars will get the chance to show off and several former champions look for a return to glory in a wide open field. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win John Deere Classic
Daniel Berger +1000
Webb Simpson +1200
Adam Hadwin +2000
Sahith Theegala +2000
Jason Day +2500
Cam Davis +2800
Maverick McNealy +2800
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +3100
Brendon Todd +3300
Charles Howell III +3300
Denny McCarthy +3300
Adam Long +3800
Patrick Rodgers +3800
Cameron Champ +4000
Lucas Glover +4000
Chez Reavie +4500
Scott Stallings +4500
Anirban Lahiri +5000
Kevin Streelman +5000
Nick Hardy +5000
J.T. Poston +5500
John Huh +5500
Lanto Griffin +5500
Doug Ghim +6000
Adam Schenk +6600
Adam Svensson +6600
Alex Smalley +6600
Dylan Frittelli +6600
Martin Laird +6600
Nick Taylor +6600
Patton Kizzire +6600
Steve Stricker +7000
Odds Analysis
Cameron Champ +4000
At a tournament like this it pays to look further down the odds board and one player looking for something good to happen is Champ. He missed the cut in his last four starts, which was a bit surprising since right before that he was on a little roll with a T10 at the Masters followed by a T6 in Mexico. There’s nothing wrong with his game off the tee using his mammoth drives to set up scoring opportunities, and there are always plenty of those at Deere Run.
Lanto Griffin +5500
Griffin’s only Tour victory came at a similar field event a few years ago in Houston, and he always plays well when the biggest names are absent. He’s also struggled a bit lately with two straight MCs, but when he plays the weekend he’s usually hovering around the top of the leaderboard. Griffin has a top-10 in a quarter of the tournaments he completed and he finished 7-under in his only appearance in this event. He’s a player with a lot of upside this week and I like his price.
Adam Hadwin +2000
The players at the top of the odds board are there for a reason. Hadwin is listed as the third favorite but very easily could be at the top of the list. He’s coming off a T7 at the U.S. Open, his fifth top-10 this season, and he’s eyeing a spot in The Open Championship through qualifying. He made the field through the qualification process at the Canadian Open in 2019. He has a pair of top-20s in this event, though he hasn’t played since 2016. Still, Hadwin has plenty to play for which is why I’m backing him.
Webb Simpson +1200
Health issues affected Simpson earlier this season but it looks like he’s feeling better. I don’t know that for sure, but playing a third consecutive week leads me to believe Simpson is back on track. And if that is the case his effort at the Travelers is even more impressive. Simpson climbed into contention last week before fading to T13. Stamina was an issue and working through it will only be a benefit. In a stronger field I wouldn’t back Simpson, but he’s playing for a reason.
Steve Stricker +7000
Only two golfers have won this tournament three times with Stricker one of them. He had the three-peat here from 2009-2011 and played the weekend in every start since with four finishes of T11 or better. Stricker still competes on the PGA Tour occasionally with three top-20s in 11 starts this season and he’s tearing up the Champions Tour with a win and two runners-up among his six top-11s in as many starts. Stricker offers a huge payday if he can turn back the clock.
Course: TPC Deere Run – 7,289 yards, Par 71
TPC Deere Run has hosted the JDC since 2000 with the winning score averaging right around 20-under. Michael Kim torched the layout in 2018 to a record 27-under topping the field by eight swings. Defending champ Lucas Glover finished 19-under, two shots better than Ryan Moore and Kevin Na. Each of the past 12 winners finished 18-under or better with nine of them at -20 or better. Deere Run offers some of the widest fairways on Tour but it’s actually the short and accurate hitters that thrive on this track. As long as you are in the fairways, which the field hits over 70 percent of the time, you can attack the greens. Typically a layout that offers up plenty of birdies, the design of the course hasn’t been altered to change that thinking this week.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, CBS
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