By Tom Wilkinson
The John Deere Classic doesn’t have a strong field this week but perhaps that will be helpful in terms of picking winning matchups. Webb Simpson is the highest ranked player in the field and he is ranked just 58th in the latest World Golf Rankings.
Most of the top ranked players are taking the week off and heading to Scotland for next week’s Scottish Open which is held the week before The Open Championship. If you are looking to play longshots then this could be the week, as the John Deere Classic looks to be wide open. Let’s look at John Deere Classic picks.
Defending Champion: Lucas Glover
Travelers Championship Matchups
Webb Simpson -130 vs. Adam Hadwin
Doug Ghim -120 vs. Mark Hubbard
Nick Hardy -130 vs. Lucas Glover
Charles Howell III -130 vs. Denny McCarthy
John Huh -130 vs. Nick Taylor
Martin Laird -120 vs. Anirban Lahiri
Adam Svensson -120 vs. Nate Lashley
Maverick McNealy -110 vs. Adam Long
Sahith Theegala -130 vs. C.T. Pan
Cameron Davis -110 vs. Chez Reavie
Adam Schenk -130 vs. Patton Kizzire
Webb Simpson -150 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Scott Stallings -120 vs. Patrick Rodgers
Brendon Todd -110 vs. Jason Day
Adam Long -134 vs. Brendon Todd
Christiaan Bezuidenhout -118 vs. Cam Davis
Chez Reavie -118 vs. David Lipsky
Doug Ghim -126 vs. Adam Schenk
J.T. Poston -118 vs. Adam Svensson
John Huh -118 vs. Emiliano Grillo
Kevin Streelman -118 vs. Anirban Lahiri
C.T. Pan -118 vs. Lucas Glover
Martin Laird -118 vs. Lanto Griffin
Charles Howell III -126 vs. Maverick McNealy
Jason Day -118 vs. Nick Hardy
Patrick Rodgers -126 vs. Scott Stallings
Golf Picks
Kevin Streelman -118 vs. Anirban Lahiri
Streelman has played well at TPC Deere Run in the past with scoring average of just over 68 in 28 rounds. He is coming off a tie for 25th at TPC River Highlands. I think he is the clear choice in this matchup against Lahiri.
Brendon Todd -110 vs. Jason Day
I think we have to put Jason Day into the go-against category until we see him figure things out. Day is simply not the same golfer he once was and yet he continues to get name value respect in terms of the odds. I’ll take Todd in this matchup at the short price against Day.
Webb Simpson -150 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Simpson is getting close to putting things altogether. He looks to be at full strength now since returning from an injured neck and he tied for 13th at the Travelers. I went with Bezuidenhout in a matchup last week which really was a play against Tringale and even though Tringale did what we expected and missed the cut, Bezuidenhout was even worse. I’ll take Simpson in this matchup.
Sahith Theegala -130 vs. C.T. Pan
There used to be a time I would go against a player who just missed winning in the previous week but I have found it is better to go against last week’s winner. Golfers are very resilient and there is no question this looks to be a good spot for Theegala to get his first win. I’ll lay the small price and take him in this matchup against Pan.
John Huh -118 vs. Emiliano Grillo
One of the players I think has a chance to contend for the win this week is Huh. He has finished in the Top 25 in his last three events. We see Grillo taking a shot on the PGA Tour here and there but rarely does he have much success. I’ll lay the short price and take Huh in this matchup against Grillo.
Lucas Glover -102 vs. C.T. Pan
The defending champion of this event is Glover and there is no reason he can’t contend again. He also finished in a tie for 10th in this tournament in 2019. This seems like a matchup where Glover should be listed as a solid favorite. I’ll take Glover in this matchup against Pan.
Check out the latest John Deere Classic odds and matchups at SugarHouse.
