Power Rankings: John Deere Classic
Power Rankings: John Deere Classic
There’s no better place than America’s heartland to celebrate the nation’s birthday. That’s where the PGA TOUR is this week.
Independence Day coincides with the opening round of the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, on Thursday, but no matter when the tournament slots on the schedule, there’s always the promise for fireworks on the leaderboard.
TPC Deere Run hosts for the 24th time. What the field of 156 can expect from it, Mother Nature’s contribution, what it will take to prevail and more are detailed below.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
15
The Indiana native has earned the benefit of the doubt at the John Deere where he can reignite after two months of poor form. Sandwiching a mid-tournament withdrawal in 2022, he finished T6 in 2019 and T4 in both 2021 and 2023.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
14
Essentially the same message this week as last week’s in . This is his time of the year when he answers the bell. On cue, he turned in a T17 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic despite a closing 73. Also recorded a T17 here last year.
Power Rankings: John Deere Classic
There’s no better place than America’s heartland to celebrate the nation’s birthday. That’s where the PGA TOUR is this week.
Independence Day coincides with the opening round of the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, on Thursday, but no matter when the tournament slots on the schedule, there’s always the promise for fireworks on the leaderboard.
TPC Deere Run hosts for the 24th time. What the field of 156 can expect from it, Mother Nature’s contribution, what it will take to prevail and more are detailed below.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
15
The Indiana native has earned the benefit of the doubt at the John Deere where he can reignite after two months of poor form. Sandwiching a mid-tournament withdrawal in 2022, he finished T6 in 2019 and T4 in both 2021 and 2023.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
14
Essentially the same message this week as last week’s in Sleepers. This is his time of the year when he answers the bell. On cue, he turned in a T17 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic despite a closing 73. Also recorded a T17 here last year.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
13
It really hasn’t mattered how he’s been performing when he pegs it at TPC Deere Run because it’s provided a lift regularly. Since 2017, he’s 4-for-5 with a victory in 2021 and a T6 last year punctuating four top 25s. It’s simply a great fit.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
12
History doesn’t repeat itself unless you’re referring to him at TPC Deere Run. After scoring 16-under 268 here in 2022, he did the exact same thing again last year. Can win a putting contest but needs inconsistent irons to cooperate.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
11
All things considered, he’s managed his unexpected rise to the PGA TOUR wonderfully since winning The American Express in January. He’s added four top 25s, the best of which a T10 last week in Detroit where he co-led the field in GIR.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10
After a rough few months early in 2024, the veteran has rallied to go 5-for-6 with four top 25s. Fourth in greens hit and eighth in proximity. Three top 25s at the John Deere. His scoring average in his first 16 rounds (2017-2022) was 67.94.
IRELAND
9
Perhaps there’s something about how the rolling fields resemble parts of his native Ireland because he’s been at home at TPC Deere Run. Since his 2017 debut, he’s 5-for-5 with a T8 (2021) among four top 25s. His scoring average is 67.95.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
8
No one has played as often as he has – this is his 24th start – but you might not know it because he didn’t make any noise for four months until a balanced T6 in Detroit last week. With momentum, the indefatigable 36-year-old can pile on.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
7
He’s not scuffling by any means but he’s not on one of his patented heaters, either, yet when he defended his title here last year, he was in a bona fide slump and still rose for a T6. His scoring in his last eight rounds here is 66.375.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
6
Arrives having connected 13 paydays in individual competition. He has no weaknesses, so expectations must remain elevated. In his last two trips to TPC Deere Run, he placed T18 in 2021 and T8 in 2022 with a scoring average of 67.5.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
5
There’s been a direct relationship between his simmering form and summertime heating. In his last nine starts, he’s recorded four top 10s and a pair of T14s. That includes a T2 on the Korn Ferry Tour and a T10 in Detroit last week.
ENGLAND
4
Improved putting is paying off world-class ball-striking. Fresh off a career-best T2 in Detroit where he shared the 36- and 54-hole leads. Led the field in par-4 scoring and gets an additional par 4 in his debut at par-71 TPC Deere Run.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
3
It’s been five years since Dylan Frittelli was the last first-time winner at TPC Deere Run, but many non-winners are comin’ in hot to end the drought. Thompson is out front with a pair of T2s, a T9 (U.S. Open) and a T17 since mid-May.
AUSTRIA
2
Even in a shootout, he proved that it’s possible to win positioned at T14 after three rounds. A closing 62 clinched a two-shot victory here last year. Recent form is terrific. In only prior title defense, he finished T5 at PGA National in 2023.
SOUTH KOREA
1
He’s 0-for-3 in the majors this year but all of his other six starts worldwide since the Masters were windfalls. The latest was a T3 at the Travelers Championship where he averaged 15 greens hit per round. Third start at the John Deere.
Sunday’s breezy finale of the Rocket Mortgage Classic skewed four-round totals and averages at an otherwise scorable Detroit Golf Club. Although the wind blew a bit during Saturday’s third round, the conclusion stood in stark contrast as the field was almost 2-1/2 strokes higher as it determined the champion, Cam Davis. It’s also the anomaly within the expectation, and it will be again this week.
As membership rank and file is returning to a regular cadence of competition that will extend for the remainder of the regular season, courses like Detroit Golf Club and TPC Deere Run present opportunities to play aggressive and free … weather pending, naturally.
Classic summertime conditions for the Quad Cities are in store. That means that there will be a little of everything in a short period of time. The holiday forecast includes a fair threat of rain and a nonzero chance for boomers. Once that energy passes, wind could step forward as a headliner and linger into Saturday. The risk of inclement weather returns on Sunday. Daytime highs will range from the low 70s to the low 80s. (Wednesday’s Golfbet Insider will include an updated review of the weather.)
For now, there isn’t enough of a shove from the invisible force predicted to send scores soaring at TPC Deere Run. In recent years and in similar conditions, the par 71 has surrendered a scoring average of about 1-1/2 strokes under par. (Last year’s clip was 69.472.) The course tips at a pedestrian 7,289 yards, so the 5,500-square-foot targets are ideal in size. And of course, if rain softens the bentgrass that blankets everything but the rough, which is a combination of bluegrass and fescue trimmed to four inches, fairways will play wider and the putting surfaces will roll slower than prepared (12 feet on the Stimpmeter). All in all, it’ll take a sparkling 36 holes just to make the cut, much less another 36 to contend. Just like in Detroit, the objective is to hit greens and sink putts – keyword: “and.”
In addition to going into the books as the 52nd winner of the John Deere Classic, a PGA TOUR membership exemption through 2026 and spots in the 2025 editions of The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship, the winner also will gain entry into The Open Championship in two weeks if not already exempt. In fact, the last major of the year reserves tee times at Royal Troon for the top two at TPC Deere Run, not .
ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE
MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers
WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider
SUNDAY: Points and Payouts; Medical Extensions; Qualifiers; Reshuffle
History doesn’t repeat itself unless you’re referring to him at TPC Deere Run. After scoring 16-under 268 here in 2022, he did the exact same thing again last year. Can win a putting contest but needs inconsistent irons to cooperate.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
11
All things considered, he’s managed his unexpected rise to the PGA TOUR wonderfully since winning The American Express in January. He’s added four top 25s, the best of which a T10 last week in Detroit where he co-led the field in GIR.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10
After a rough few months early in 2024, the veteran has rallied to go 5-for-6 with four top 25s. Fourth in greens hit and eighth in proximity. Three top 25s at the John Deere. His scoring average in his first 16 rounds (2017-2022) was 67.94.
IRELAND
9
Perhaps there’s something about how the rolling fields resemble parts of his native Ireland because he’s been at home at TPC Deere Run. Since his 2017 debut, he’s 5-for-5 with a T8 (2021) among four top 25s. His scoring average is 67.95.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
8
No one has played as often as he has – this is his 24th start – but you might not know it because he didn’t make any noise for four months until a balanced T6 in Detroit last week. With momentum, the indefatigable 36-year-old can pile on.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
7
He’s not scuffling by any means but he’s not on one of his patented heaters, either, yet when he defended his title here last year, he was in a bona fide slump and still rose for a T6. His scoring in his last eight rounds here is 66.375.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
6
Arrives having connected 13 paydays in individual competition. He has no weaknesses, so expectations must remain elevated. In his last two trips to TPC Deere Run, he placed T18 in 2021 and T8 in 2022 with a scoring average of 67.5.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
5
There’s been a direct relationship between his simmering form and summertime heating. In his last nine starts, he’s recorded four top 10s and a pair of T14s. That includes a T2 on the Korn Ferry Tour and a T10 in Detroit last week.
1
ENGLAND
4
Improved putting is paying off world-class ball-striking. Fresh off a career-best T2 in Detroit where he shared the 36- and 54-hole leads. Led the field in par-4 scoring and gets an additional par 4 in his debut at par-71 TPC Deere Run.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
3
It’s been five years since Dylan Frittelli was the last first-time winner at TPC Deere Run, but many non-winners are comin’ in hot to end the drought. Thompson is out front with a pair of T2s, a T9 (U.S. Open) and a T17 since mid-May.
AUSTRIA
2
Even in a shootout, he proved that it’s possible to win positioned at T14 after three rounds. A closing 62 clinched a two-shot victory here last year. Recent form is terrific. In only prior title defense, he finished T5 at PGA National in 2023.
SOUTH KOREA
1
He’s 0-for-3 in the majors this year but all of his other six starts worldwide since the Masters were windfalls. The latest was a T3 at the Travelers Championship where he averaged 15 greens hit per round. Third start at the John Deere.
Sunday’s breezy finale of the Rocket Mortgage Classic skewed four-round totals and averages at an otherwise scorable Detroit Golf Club. Although the wind blew a bit during Saturday’s third round, the conclusion stood in stark contrast as the field was almost 2-1/2 strokes higher as it determined the champion, Cam Davis. It’s also the anomaly within the expectation, and it will be again this week.
As membership rank and file is returning to a regular cadence of competition that will extend for the remainder of the regular season, courses like Detroit Golf Club and TPC Deere Run present opportunities to play aggressive and free … weather pending, naturally.
Classic summertime conditions for the Quad Cities are in store. That means that there will be a little of everything in a short period of time. The holiday forecast includes a fair threat of rain and a nonzero chance for boomers. Once that energy passes, wind could step forward as a headliner and linger into Saturday. The risk of inclement weather returns on Sunday. Daytime highs will range from the low 70s to the low 80s. (Wednesday’s Golfbet Insider will include an updated review of the weather.)
For now, there isn’t enough of a shove from the invisible force predicted to send scores soaring at TPC Deere Run. In recent years and in similar conditions, the par 71 has surrendered a scoring average of about 1-1/2 strokes under par. (Last year’s clip was 69.472.) The course tips at a pedestrian 7,289 yards, so the 5,500-square-foot targets are ideal in size. And of course, if rain softens the bentgrass that blankets everything but the rough, which is a combination of bluegrass and fescue trimmed to four inches, fairways will play wider and the putting surfaces will roll slower than prepared (12 feet on the Stimpmeter). All in all, it’ll take a sparkling 36 holes just to make the cut, much less another 36 to contend. Just like in Detroit, the objective is to hit greens and sink putts – keyword: “and.”
In addition to going into the books as the 52nd winner of the John Deere Classic, a PGA TOUR membership exemption through 2026 and spots in the 2025 editions of The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship, the winner also will gain entry into The Open Championship in two weeks if not already exempt. In fact, the last major of the year reserves tee times at Royal Troon for the top two at TPC Deere Run, not .
ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE
MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers
WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider
SUNDAY: Points and Payouts; Medical Extensions; Qualifiers; Reshuffle