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After Rickie Fowler returned to the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour last weekend at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, golf’s premium tour heads to Silvis, Illinois for the John Deere Classic. Although the event isn’t one of the most prestigious events on the PGA Tour, it does present some of the lesser-known players on tour to showcase their ability in front of a packed crowd.
The event typically takes place a week before the Open Championship, but this year it is being staged two weeks prior to the final major of the year. The field for the John Deere Classic contains several players who will also be teeing it up at Royal Liverpool in a fortnight’s time so there is plenty of incentive there to get some form in ahead of the big one.
With players set to tee off tomorrow morning at TPC Deere Run, here are some free predictions and tips that you may want to consider.
The best John Deere Classic picks
Contents
Denny McCarthy to win – 12/1
In a reduced field lacking in real star power, Denny McCarthy is arguably the most in-form player going into the John Deere Classic. At the start of May, he secured his place at the Open Championship in two weeks’ time by finishing inside the top ten at the Wells Fargo Championship and he has followed that up with a string of impressive performances.
He came second at the Memorial Tournament shortly after the PGA Championship and then looked in good shape at the Travelers Championship two weeks ago when he broke the 36-hole record at TPC River Highlands after carding a 60 and a 65 over the opening two days. Although he didn’t go on to win the event, he comes into this one in red-hot form and the man to beat. At 12/1, he still represents superb value.
Cameron Young to win – 16/1
While we have McCarthy as our number-one pick this week, we also believe that Cameron Young has a great shot at winning the event in Illinois. Young is perhaps the “biggest” name to be taking part this week and he is also the highest ranked at 19th in the world which instantly makes him a threat as the “big fish”.
Young has had a decent overall season on the PGA Tour with three top-ten finishes to his name, but things have tailed off recently for the 26-year-old. Despite that, he will be keen to flex his muscles with Open Championship on the horizon – an event he performed exceptionally well in last year – and what better way to do that than to win this weekend.
Cameron Young on decision to play the John Deere Classic:
"I don't love playing the week before a major…So for me to be able to play this week and have a week at home and then go over rested to the British I think fits my schedule really nicely. That's really the major thing."
— Underdog Golf (@Underdog__Golf) July 5, 2023
Adam Hadwin – Top ten finish – 3/1
Canadian, Adam Hadwin has narrowly missed out on qualification for the Open Championship this year as he is currently ranked 54th in the world. That hasn’t dampened the 35-year-old spirits, though, as he is currently enjoying one of the best runs of form in his career to date.
Hadwin has five top-ten finishes on the PGA Tour this season and on two of those occasions, he has only narrowly missed out on the top spot. In his most recent performance at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last weekend, Hadwin came closer than ever to winning his first win since 2017 when he participated in a three-man playoff with Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.
After battling it out with two of the biggest names in golf, Hadwin eventually lost out to Fowler but the Canadian must be feeling good about his game after carding a score of -24 over four rounds last weekend. With that form, we believe another top-ten finish awaits this weekend at TPC Deere Run while he should also be considered an overall each-way bet.
Seamus Power – Top GB and Ireland player – 5/4
As the majority of GB and Ireland players are already in the UK preparing for the Open Championship, they aren’t particularly well represented this week in Illinois. The standout player from GB and Ireland taking part this week is Seamus Power who will be confident of his chances of having a good week after narrowly making it through to the Open Championship as the 50th highest-ranked golfer in the world.
Power is already a winner on the PGA Tour this season, after coming out on top at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship back in October. His recent form is far from ideal, however, the lack of competition from other GB and Irish players should make this a relatively safe bet providing he at least makes the cut.
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