The final event on the PGA Tour before The Open is the John Deere Classic. That means this is the last chance for those who ply their trade on the other side of the pond who haven’t yet qualified for next week to do so.
There is a huge money event in Scotland this week so you would have to say this tournament is playing second fiddle to that one but someone will win it and pick up the many benefits that will bring.
Recent Winners
2016 – Ryan Moore
2015 – Jordan Spieth
2014 – Brian Harman
2013 – Jordan Spieth
2012 – Zach Johnson
2011 – Steve Stricker
2010 – Steve Stricker
2009 – Steve Stricker
2008 – Kenny Perry
2007 – Jonathan Byrd
The Course
As ever it is TPC Deere Run which will stage the tournament this week. The course hasn’t changed much in the recent past. It is a very low scoring course with those who hit the fairways basically turning the track into a glorified pitch and putt no matter how far they hit it.
Generally the better players hit plenty of greens and hole plenty of putts this week. There is no surprise logic in that of course but it does equate to why course specialists tend to go well here. As a par 70 which measures 7,268 yards we can expect the tee to green machines to make hay here.
The Field
With players such as Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar and Jason Dufner of the American contingent playing in Scotland this week not to mention near enough anyone who is anyone in Europe also in that event this field isn’t the strongest.
That will give those yet to qualify for The Open or the FedEx play-offs the chance of a big week to try and secure their spot in one of those events. Daniel Berger, Brian Harman, Kevin Kisner and Kyle Stanley are some of the recent tournament winners in the field this week.
Market Leaders
It is Daniel Berger who heads the betting at 14/1 this week. That shows how open the tournament is but he is a worthy favourite based on his runner up effort to Jordan Spieth a few weeks ago. If he is on it and focused he could take some beating.
Brian Harman is a former winner of this tournament and if his US Open form is anything to go by he is likely to be in the mix here too. He has already won an event this year so the pressure is off him but I’m not sure I can bring myself to back him at 18/1.
Kevin Kisner is another man who has won an event this season and he goes into the tournament at 20/1. That is a little bit more like my sort of price but I still fancy he could be just a touch on the short side.
Danny Lee and Charley Hoffman both come next at 22/1. I lost on Lee last week and I’m not rushing in again at a short price even allowing for the weakness of the field. I like Charley Hoffman and wouldn’t be surprised to see him go well here but I could do without the heartache of watching him scratch around on Sunday! It is 25/1 bar those named.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Main Bets
I’m going for two main bets this week. The first of those is the main man around this track in Steve Stricker. It is just a perfect course for him. He never misses a fairway and when a wedge and a putter are involved this guy would be high up on the list of those you’d chose to play for your life. He can still hack it on the PGA Tour and at 25/1 he is near enough an automatic bet.
Jamie Lovemark has been knocking on the door ever since he got on the PGA Tour and he ran hot last week. I don’t think it is going to be long before a ball striker as good as he is will get over the winning line and with this field not the best it could very easily be this week. Lovemark has all the tools needed to go well here and at 33/1 the price is more than acceptable too.
Outsiders
I’ll have a stab at a couple of outsiders too. The first of those is the regularly accurate William McGirt who has contended in some events a whole lot bigger than this over the course of the last year. He is straight off the tee and very strong with the shorter irons so if he can get the putter to the right temperature he should go very well around here.
Patrick Rodgers hits the ball so well that it is almost impossible for him not to go well around here. He is a solid driver and he’ll be playing this course with a lot of short irons so if he can get the putts to drop he could run amok at a really stupid price. At that price I think he is well worth a chance on this one.
Tips
PLACED – Back S.Stricker to win John Deere Classic (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back J.Lovemark to win John Deere Classic (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
PLACED – Back P.Rodgers to win John Deere Classic (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Back W.McGirt to win John Deere Classic (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with BetBright (1/4 1-5)
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017
