Bob Weeks Picks Six – John Deere Classic

Last Week: Another week, another good performance for us. We didn’t nab the winner in Cam Davis but we hit on both the top-10 picks in Akshay Bhatia at +190 and Min Woo Lee at +185.

This Week: The John Deere is another week of tournaments without a lot of big stars. As we saw last week, however, that doesn’t mean it will lack drama. There are enough seasoned veterans and up-and-comers to keep things interesting. The course, TPC Deere Run, is also noteworthy in that it doesn’t pay to hit it long. Fairways end or turn at shorter yardages meaning that everyone, short or long, can play. It can also be a bit of a birdie-fest. In the last 14 editions, players have been -20 or better in 12 of them.

To win

Sungjae Im +1400

With three top 10s in his last four starts, Im is among the hottest players coming into this week’s event. He has a respectable Strokes Gained: Total ranking of 40^th, showing that most parts of his game are solid. He’s good at scrambling and decent off the tee. If his putter works for him, he should have a great shot at this title.

Aaron Rai +2000

Mr. Two Gloves has been in a groove lately with four finishes inside the top 20 in his last six starts. That includes a tie for second last week in Detroit. He’s seventh in Driving Accuracy on the Tour and second in Greens in Regulation, a powerful combo. If he can putt as he did last week, he should be up near the top of the leaderboard.

Top 10

Maverick McNealy +250

Has had three top-10 finishes so far this year including a tie for seventh at the RBC Canadian Open. He didn’t play last year but prior to that, he finished tied for eighth and tied for 18^th at this event. He’s 10^th in Strokes Gained: Total and sits seventh in Scrambling.

J.T. Poston +250

A decent season so far, having made 15 cuts in 17 starts with four top-10 finishes. He won here in 2022 and was tied for sixth last year so we know he likes the course. Poston is 10^th in driving accuracy on Tour this year which will benefit him on TPC Deere Run.

Top 20

Lucas Glover +180

In his last four starts here, Glover has a win, two top 10s and a missed cut. It’s been a bit of a bumpy road over the last few starts this year with missed cuts at Memorial and the U.S. Open and a lacklustre tie for 44^th at Travelers, but this is a comfortable spot for the veteran. He’s fourth in driving accuracy percentage and third in proximity to the hole when he lands on the green.

Sam Stevens +150

His last four starts have produced three finishes inside the top 14 – that tie for 14^th came at the RBC Canadian Open. Last week it was a tie for 10^th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He’s 24^th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 39^th in Putting so he seems to have both ends of his game working.