Out of the Rough: John Deere Classic (2026)

In the final event state-side before heading across-the-pond for the Genesis Scottish Open and ultimately The Open Championship, the PGA Tour takes to TPC Deere Run for the John Deere Classic.

Held annually at the Silvis, IL based venue, there isn’t anything on TOUR quiet like both this event and course.

With the final Major event of the season in The Open Championship just two weeks away and a stop in Scotland for the Genesis Scottish Open a week away, this event annually serves as a natural bye week for many of the TOUR’s best.

That doesn’t mean there will be a lack of drama this week as this event annually offers a log-jammed leaderboard with players of diverse skill sets.

There too is a lot to play for, with the top finishers having a chance to punch their ticket to The Open.

The Field

As previously mentioned, with a Signature Event in the Travelers Championship last week and The Open Championship just two weeks away, most of the World’s best will be using this week as a bye week.

Chris Gotterup (No. 13) comes in as the highest ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) teeing it up this week.

He’ll be joined by Ben Griffin (No. 18,) Jacob Bridgeman (No. 25,) J.T. Poston (No. 32,) Keegan Bradley (No. 35,) Rickie Fowler (No. 42,) Jordan Spieth (No. 49) and Daniel Berger (No. 50) as those ranked within the top 50 of the OWGR playing this week.

Brian Campbell became one of the more improbable winners on the PGA Tour in some time with a victory at TPC Deere Run a season ago. He topped Emiliano Grillo in a playoff to claim his maiden PGA Tour victory.

Other former winners of this event playing this week include Davis Thompson (2024,) Poston (2022,) Lucas Glover (2021,) Dyan Frittelli (2019,) Michael Kim (2018,) Spieth (2013 and 2015,) Zach Johnson (2012) and Jonathan Byrd (2007.)

The Course

TPC Deere Run has been the host of this event since 2000. It was designed by D.A. Weibring and comes in at 7,258 yards and plays as a par-71.

We can expect another birdie-fest this week as the winning score typically breaks into the -20’s. Brian Campbell carded a winning -18 a season ago but Thompson shot a -28 in 2024, breaking the tournament record previously held by Kim (-27.)

A winning score of -20 under-par or better has been the norm here as 12-of-the-last-16 installments reached that mark.

It goes without saying, this is not a challenging track. Despite that fact, there is the presence of undulated fairways, steep elevation changes and tight doglegs.

Due to this, golfers are required to use every club in their bag. There will be a premium on ball striking and short game, more than a typical birdie-fest. This course will reward the most precise ball strikers on TOUR who are able to convert most birdie looks.

The fairways and greens are above average in size in terms of Tour standards. Due to this, accurate ball strikers who can find the fairways and then greens in regulation will have success

Despite the fairways playing wider than most TOUR tracks, there are plenty of tight tree lines and ticker rough that forces layups.

There are multiple long par-threes and par-fours beyond 450-yards featured this week.

As previously mentioned, this event has been the host of many dramatic and climactic finishes. Like the Travelers, we’ve come to expect playoffs and one-stroke victories here at the John Deere Classic.

The winner has emerged from a playoff or by one-stroke 17 times since 2000.

Some significant changes took place between last year’s installment and this year’s event, mainly on the fourth hole.

Due to rotting, the historic “Hewitt” Oak and Hawthorn trees that served as a visual obstacle in the middle of the fairway have been removed.

To compensate for the changes, the tee box was pushed back as the hole now plays at approximately 478-yards.

Additionally, new bunkers were added along the fairway.

Course form isn’t a necessity here but the correlation to other short course birdie-fest type tracks is. For example, Poston, the 2022 winner, placed T2nd at the Travelers Championship a week prior. He did not have a finish better than T64 in four prior John Deere Classic starts.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday currently calls for just a 25-percent chance of precipitation. From there, Friday is calling for a 40-percent chance of evening thunderstorms as Saturday is calling for a 30-percent chance of isolated thunderstorms. Sunday is calling for a 25-percent chance of precipitation. Temperatures will be the highest on Thursday at 93-degrees. Temperatures will steadily decrease each day by two-degrees before finishing the week on Sunday at 87-degrees. Winds will also be the highest on Thursday at 11 miles-per-hour. Winds will settle to nine miles-per-hour on Friday, eight miles-per-hour on Saturday and seven miles-per-hour on Sunday. 

Key Stats

• Ball Striking

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass (SG: PUTT Bentgrass)

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Hit Fairway Percentage 

• Par Four Average Scoring

• Par Five Average Scoring

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Proximity to the Hole from 75-150 Yards / Proximity to the Hole from 150-175 Yards

• Birdie or Better Percentage

Betting Card

Jacob Bridgeman (+3300)

I was on Bridgeman last week at the Travelers Championship, another birdiefest, so why not roll him into this week in a much weaker field? Bridgeman is currently seventh on Tour in par-four average scoring, 11th in birdie or better percentage, 12th in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 14th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 34th in ball striking, 36th in par-five average scoring, 39th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 43rd in SG: APP, 52nd in GIR%, 57th in hit fairway percentage and 109th in SG: ATG. Bridgeman placed 47th last week at the Travelers Championship. Prior to that he placed 39th at the U.S. Open, 11th at the RBC Canadian Open and 34th at the Memorial Tournament. He also placed fifth at this event a season ago while missing the cut in 2024. Of golfers in the field, just one guy ranks higher in my stats-based model than Bridgeman.

Tom Kim (+4000)

This is the aforementioned top guy in my stats-based model this week. Kim last played the U.S. Open where he placed third, becoming one of just six golfers to record an under-par score at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for a U.S. Open. Prior to that he placed 54th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, 54th at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and sixth at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. He’s played this event once prior, missing the cut a season ago. Kim is currently 12th on Tour in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 14th in SG: APP, 15th in par-four average scoring, 27th in SG: ATG, 29th in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 30th in hit fairway percentage, 40th in ball striking, 41st in par-five average scoring, 43rd in GIR%, 52nd in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 76th in birdie-or-better percentage and 103rd in SG: OTT. 

Jackson Suber (+6000)

Suber has been rather good dating back to the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic where he placed 19th. Since then he placed fourth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 67th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, missed the cut at the U.S. Open and placed 30th last week at the Travelers Championship. He too has played this event once prior, missing the cut a season ago. Suber is currently sixth on Tour in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, tenth in GIR%, 13th in par-five average scoring, 23rd in SG: APP, 29th in birdie or better percentage, 46th in both SG: PUTT Bentgrass and proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 49th in ball striking, 71st in hit fairway percentage, 80th in both SG: OTT and par-four average scoring and 83rd in SG: ATG. 

Johnny Keefer (+6600)

Keefer is another young American who has shown flashes of excellence across the 2026 PGA Tour season. He placed 39th in his latest outing at the U.S. Open. Prior to that he placed 51st at the RBC Canadian Open, 35th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, ninth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 79th at the PGA Championship and 31st at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. Keefer is currently second on Tour in GIR%, fifth in ball striking, seventh in SG: OTT, 19th in SG: APP, 45th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 59th in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 73rd in birdie or better percentage, 80th in par-four average scoring, 84th in hit fairway percentage, 124th in par-five average scoring, 145th in SG: ATG and 149th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. He'll be making his tournament debut this week. 

Max McGreevy (+8000)

McGreevy is currently seventh on Tour in par-five average scoring, 21st in hit fairway percentage, 24th in GIR%, 32nd in SG: APP, 34th in ball striking, 38th in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 41st in SG: OTT, 56th in SG: ATG, 98th in par-four average scoring, 114th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 125th in birdie or better percentage and 129th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. He placed 32nd in his latest outing at the U.S. Open. Prior to that he placed 51st at the RBC Canadian Open and 35th at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He’s played this event three times previously, missing the cut in all three of 2025, 2023 and 2022.

William Mouw (+10000)

Mouw is currently 14th on Tour in proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards, 22nd in ball striking, 29th in both hit fairway percentage and par-five average scoring, 33rd in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 48th in SG: OTT, 59th in GIR%, 73rd in SG: APP, 122nd in par-four average scoring, 128th in both proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards and birdie or better percentage and 136th in SG: ATG. He placed 65th in his latest outing at the U.S. Open and placed 20th prior at the RBC Canadian Open. He missed the cut at the John Deere Classic a season ago but placed 13th in 2023.

2025 Betting Card

• Kevin Yu (+4000) - T21st

• Andrew Putnam (+6500) - WD

• Kevin Roy (+7000) - T3rd

• Victor Perez (+7000) - MC

• Rico Hoey (+8000) - T11th

2024 Betting Card

• Sepp Straka (+2000) - T61st

• Davis Thompson (+3000) - 1st

• J.T. Poston (+3500) - T30th

• Ryo Histatune (+7000) - T52nd

• Carson Young (+15000) - T5th

2023 Betting Card

• Russell Henley (+1600) - T35th

• Adam Hadwin (+2200) - MC

• Emiliano Grillo (+3100) - MC

• Alex Smalley (+3400) - T2nd

• Joseph Bramlett (+6000) - MC

• Greyson Sigg (+10000) - T13th