The John Deere Classic had traditionally been held the week before The Open, meaning a lot of the top golfers in the world did not play as they rested up for the long flight across the pond. That opened the door for the likes of Jordan Spieth and Bryson DeChambeau to get their first Tour wins at this event.
Even though the John Deere Classic is moved up a week this year, it still hasn’t drawn anybody in the top 50 in the OWGR rankings to play this weekend at TPC Deere Run in Silvis. Therefore, there’s value on nearly everybody in the field, with Webb Simpson being the 10/1 favorite and only three players with higher than 25/1 odds to get the win.
Below are some of the top underdogs for the weekend.
Lucas Glover 40/1
There are worse wagers to make than on the defending champion at 40/1. Glover won the 2021 John Deere Classic at -19, so he’s obviously comfortable at TPC Deere Run.
Glover fired a 63 and a 64 over the weekend last year and birdied three of his last four holes at the Travelers Championship, so he’s coming in with some momentum.
Maverick McNealy 50/1
There’s nothing incredibly difficult about TPC Deere Run, and whoever wins this weekend should be hovering near 20 strokes under par.
McNealy has just as good of a chance as anybody at having the low round of the tournament, as he leads the Tour in Eagles (holes per) and is 20th in birdie average.
What a great opportunity to join the likes of Spieth, DeChambeau, Dylan Frittelli, Michael Kim, and Brian Harman, who have all gotten their first career win at this tournament.
Alex Smalley 66/1
Smalley has a trend going; he misses the cut every other tournament and then comes back with a top 30 finish. That includes a sixth place at the Mexico Open, 27th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and 21st at the RBC Canadian Open.
Those tournaments all had higher ranking fields, so with Smalley’s MC at the Travelers last weekend, he should be in line to be in contention in Silvis.
Steve Stricker 66/1
Stricker is going to be one of the more recognizable names in the field this weekend, and he’s a fan favorite in the Quad Cities.
Going to the John Deere Classic is a tradition in the Midwest, and many of these fans were in attendance when Stricker three-peated in 2009, 2010, and 2011. This could be a great retro weekend for the 55-year-old.
Zach Johnson 80/1
You have to throw a couple of clams on the hometown kid here, especially in a field that includes only two golfers in the top 75 in rankings.
Johnson, the Iowa City native, won this event in 2012 and was a runner-up in 2009, 2013, and 2014.
Ryan Moore 100/1
That’s an incredible return on investment for a guy who won in Silvis in 2016 and was runner-up here last year.
Moore just likes this course, leading the field with 91.1% driving accuracy here in 2021 and being fifth in hitting 80.6% of his greens in regulation.
