Joe Champion
Ben Griffin’s rise to 17th in the world has been remarkable — he once left professional golf to work in finance — and now he finds himself the +1400 favorite for the John Deere Classic. A winner of the Zurich Classic pairs event alongside Andrew Novak, Griffin also claimed the Charles Schwab Challenge at the end of May, and he fully deserves his prominent place in the betting market at TPC Deere Run. The Illinois venue, which has hosted the tournament since 2000, has consistently produced low scores in recent years, with the winning total averaging nearly 23-under-par across the last 6 editions. Davis Thompson triumphed with a tournament-record 28-under last year, so this is very much a putting contest — the winner will need to roll in their fair share. Let’s dive into my golf predictions for the John Deere Classic.
Get set for the John Deere Classic by checking out the best golf betting sites available, where you can earn THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in bonus bets by using our promo codes!
John Deere Classic golf picks and predictions
John Deere Classic best bet: Michael Thorbjornsen (+3500)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
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.
You can secure the best odds on our Michael Thorbjornsen best bet when you use DraftKings Sportsbook. And if you’re new to DraftKings, great news! Simply click here to sign up now and you’ll receive $150 in bonus bets INSTANTLY when you make your first $5 wager — win or lose!
John Deere Classic prediction: Kevin Yu (+4000)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
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.
John Deere Classic pick: Nico Echavarria (+6000)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook and bet365 at time of publishing.
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.
John Deere Classic longshot pick: Kevin Roy (+7000)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
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.
Get the best odds on our Kevin Roy longshot prediction with FanDuel Sportsbook, where new users can secure $150 in bonus bets INSTANTLY if their first bet is a winner! All you have to do is click this link to join FanDuel now.
