There have been some big names reigning supreme atop the leaderboard on Sunday nights over the past couple weeks. World #4 Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship, #3 Rory McIlroy won the RBC Canadian Open and we’ve seen top 11 players Sam Burns (Charles Schwab Classic), Matthew Fitzpatrck (U.S. Open), and Xander Schauffele (Travelers Championship) also pull out wins over the past six weeks.
Billy Horschel at#15 in the OWGR is the biggest long shot to win since the PGA Championship on May 22nd, but whoever comes out on top of the John Deere Classic will add to that trend as nobody in the top 50 are in this field.
The John Deere Classic is an oft-overlooked tournament mostly because it’s sandwiched in a perfect spot for an off week between the U.S. Open and before traveling to The Open – held this year in St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf.
TPC Deere Run in Silvis, IL plays host to the John Deere Classic, and the favorites for this one are an eclectic bunch that we don’t usually see correlated with the odds they are getting this weekend.
Webb Simpson 10/1
Simpson comes in as the man this weekend, as at #58 he is the highest ranked golfer in this field. The Irish Open and the LIV event at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland have both drawn a better field on paper. Simpson finished 13th last weekend at the Travelers, but him and Steve Stricker will be the two biggest attractions in Silvis.
Adam Hadwin 16/1
This is a huge tournament for Hadwin as there are still a few spots in The Open up for grabs and this is his best shot to claim one. Hadwin fired a 66 to take the opening round lead at the U.S. Open before fading to 7th, so he definitely wants to get back to a major.
Sahith Theegala 22/1
What a difference a week makes for a rookie on the PGA Tour. Theegala went into the Travelers Championship as a 125/1 underdog but had a one stroke lead on the 18th hole before a double bogey doomed him to second behind Schauffele. Combine last weekend’s finish with a fifth place at the Memorial at the beginning of June and it was a good month of golf for Theegala.
Denny McCarthy 25/1
Jordan Spieth (2015) and Bryson DeChambeau (2017) have both used John Deere Classic wins to catapult themselves into stardom, so is McCarthy the next in line to do just that? He had a very disappointing MC at the Travelers following a 7th in the U.S. Open and a 5th at the Memorial in his previous two tournaments but this looks like a bounce back spot for the 29-year-old.
Brendon Todd 28/1
There’s perhaps nobody that has more impressive stats with fewer results than Todd. This is a guy who is fifth in driving accuracy (69.45%) and sixth in shots gained putting this year but is still winless. A diluted field gives Todd a great opportunity to be the face of the tournament this weekend.
