Jun 16, 2024; Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA; Jordan Spieth hits from the eighth tee box during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports
- The John Deere Classic begins on Thursday morning at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.
- The field isn’t as star-studded as recent tournaments, but still features big-name golfers like Jordan Spieth, Sungjae Im and 2023 John Deere Classic winner Sepp Straka.
- Check the section below for our favorite picks for this weekend’s John Deere Classic.
The John Deere Classic is the next tournament on the list for the 2024 PGA Tour, teeing off on Thursday morning in Silvis, Illinois. Last year’s winner, Sepp Straka, will return to defend his title, though most of the big-name golfers are taking this weekend off ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open next week. The purse for the John Deere Classic is $8 million. TV coverage will be handled by CBS, the Golf Channel, ESPN+ and Peacock.
John Deere Classic Picks
- Aaron Rai top-5 finish (+475)
- Sungjae Im top-10 finish (+190)
Odds via bet365 Sportsbook.
Rai is red hot right now. He just finished in a tie for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, finishing a stroke behind winner Cam Davis. He struggled a bit on Sunday with the pressure of trying to close out a victory, posting a 72 on the final day. But he still managed to finish tied for second even with those Sunday struggles.
Because of those issues when the pressure was highest, I’m not picking Rai to win this weekend’s tournament. But a top-5 finish seems very doable for one of the top golfers in the John Deere Classic field.
As for Im, he seems like a pretty safe bet to land in the top 10, so getting +190 odds is a big bonus. In his last 4 non-majors (the Wells Fargo Championship, the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship) he’s finished T4, T9, T8 and T3 overall.
All of those tournaments had deeper fields than the John Deere Classic. This week, Im is the favorite to win, boasting +1400 odds to Sepp Straka’s +1600. Im shows up big in non-majors, so I like him to once again find himself in the top 10.
John Deere Classic Longshot Picks
- Jordan Spieth to win (+2200)
- Sungjae Im Round 1 leader (+2800)
Spieth has been playing some atrocious golf lately. Here’s a look at his results since The Masters back in mid-April:
- Masters: Missed cut
- RBC Heritage: T39
- The CJ Cup Byron Nelson: Missed cut
- Wells Fargo Championship: T29
- PGA Championship: T43
- Charles Schwab Challenge: T37
- The Memorial Tournament: Missed cut
- US Open: T41
- Travelers Championship: T63
Yikes.
Spieth skipped the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week, and I’m going to go out on a limb to say the time away from the game helped him mentally and physically. The rest, combined with this being a weaker field, could be just what the doctor ordered. At +2200 odds on bet365, I’m willing to put a small wager on Spieth to win.
As for Im, he has the best odds to win the tournament this weekend, as mentioned earlier. Though he’s missed the cut in all 3 majors so far this year, he has great results when the pressure isn’t as high.
He should be able to get off to a hot start on Thursday on a course that should features plenty of low scores. There’s not a ton of value in betting Im to win the whole tournament, but there is more value if you think he’ll start the John Deere Classic on a strong note. I like Im to be in the lead after Round 1, which features +2800 odds on bet365. That’s a bit tastier, in my opinion.
Im tees off at 7:18 a.m. local time on Thursday morning, with Spieth following close behind at 7:29 a.m. Enjoy the John Deere Classic over this long holiday weekend!
Adam is an avid college sports fan, covering both football and basketball. During the summer months, he’s all-in on MLB action, favoring pitcher strikeout parlays.