Photo: iowagolf.com
One of the most infamous stops on tour, for so many reasons other than the golf, is The John Deere Classic. It has been the punchline of many jokes when talking about the problem with The PGA Tour scheduling, the inability to put together start studded fields, and just the general malaise that can sometimes come with summer PGA Tour events. But that seems to be the outsiders opinion on this event. People that take the time to go out and attend this event have nothing but good things to say about the fan experience. John Deere has great branding and activities to keep folks entertained, and it really has a bit of soul to it that many other summer events do not have.
TPC Deere Run hosts this event. The course presents a similar test to players that many other summer events do. All of the recent winners have come in around 20 under par and that presents no signs of changing this year. This event also has a nice history of giving out first PGA Tour starts to promising young players. This year Tommy Kuhl (Illinois) and William Mouw (Pepperdine) are two great examples of players in the field this week who are just beginning their journeys towards The PGA Tour. Now with the stage being set, let’s get to our picks for the week. We will look at the top, middle, and bottom of the odds board for our three picks.
Russell Henley
In Russell Henley’s last 9 starts, he has made 8 cuts and in all of those made cuts he has finished inside of the top 20! That is an impressive run of form. In addition the last two times that he has played in this event he has recorded a T11 and a solo 2nd place finish. This course tends to put a premium on driving accuracy and Henley is one of the most accurate drivers you will find in the world. In addition, he is a premier ball striker and has well above average statistics around the green. The only flaw in his game is his lack of distance off the tee, which is not essential to win at TPC Deere Run. He is the second favorite to win this week and it feels like it is for good reason. We think that Russell Henley will grab the win this week at The John Deere Classic
Lucas Glover
Glover won this event two years ago in 2021. This has been a rather poor season for Glover. Until The Rocket Mortgage, his best finish was a T20 at The Canadian Open. The main thing holding him back has been truly disastrous putting. That all changed last week when he switched from a traditional style putter to the long broomstick style putter last week. He put up his best putting week of the year by a significant strokes gained margin. Coming back to a course that he has preformed well on in the past, combined with this potential revelation in his putting, things are lining up for a great Lucas Glover performance this week. Look for Glover to grab a top five finish this week.
Tommy Kuhl
Kuhl was a Haskins award finalist this season and an NCAA All American. This will be his first start on the PGA Tour in his career. Recent college grads that have turned pro have found success on various professional tours. His teammate Adrian Dumont De Chassart already has a win on The Korn Ferry Tour and Ludvig Aberg has been highly competitive in his PGA Tour starts thus far. Tommy Kuhl is of the same caliber as those players and his game should translate well to this event. We have seen him go low in collegiate events before (65) and that will be a necessary skill to contend this week. Look for Tommy Kuhl to get off to a hot start in his Tour career with a top 20 finish this week.
