John Deere Classic golf predictions, odds and PGA Tour picks for Thursday, 07/03/25

Ben Griffin commands respect, but this looks a prime opportunity for the hugely talented Michael Thorbjornsen to claim a PGA Tour breakthrough. Thorbjornsen was runner-up at the Corales Puntacana Championship in April, then finished 4th in the Zurich Classic alongside Karl Vilips. After a brief dip in form, he bounced back with a 4th-place finish at the Rocket Classic last week. The American was 17th in the 2023 John Deere and runner-up behind Thompson last year, so he clearly relishes the test that Deere Run provides, and looks ready to go one step further here.

Kevin Yu has also fared well in this event, finishing 6th in 2022 and 20th last year. The 26-year-old Taiwanese player is one of the PGA Tour’s best drivers, and while his putting has often held him back, he’s gained strokes on the greens in 4 of his last 5 starts.

Nico Echavarria appeals at fairly big odds. He was the runner-up at the Sony Open in January and 6th at the Rocket Classic on Sunday, and arrives in far better form than for his previous trips to Deere Run. He ranks 5th  on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting and should mount a bold title challenge.

Kevin Roy struck his irons beautifully last week en route to an 8th-place finish at the Rocket Classic, backing up a top-20 at the Canadian Open. He has proven he can hang with the big names and in a wide-open field, he could spring a surprise and win his first PGA Tour event.