PGA DFS: 2022 John Deere Classic Coverage
PGA DFS Coverage for the John Deere Classic
We will see a down week on the PGA Tour for the first time in nearly two months as the calendar shifts to July. The players take a trip to the Quad Cities and more specifically Silvis, Illinois for the John Deere Classic. This became an official event on the tour schedule in 1972. It has been sponsored by the Miller Brewing Company, Hardees, and since 1999, John Deere. TPC Deere Run has been the host course since 2000 and there are definitely players who love this tournament. Let’s get into details of this longstanding PGA Tour event.
The Field: John Deere Classic
We discussed last week about how after a major championship the fields are usually hit or miss. The Travelers sported a stellar field with the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlory, Justin Thomas, and Xander Schauffele but this week, not so much. The top priced player on DraftKings is Webb Simpson and that’s mostly because of his course history. Adam Hadwin, Sahith Theegala, and Jason Day round out the players at 10K and above this week. There are a couple reasons that the field is as weak as it is, one being rest. A lot of these guys have played six to eight weeks straight and needed a break before the Scottish Open next week and the Open Championship the week after that. The other reason is the LIV Tour hosts their second event and first one on U.S. soil in Portland, Oregon this weekend. Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and others will be making their debuts in that event.
The Course: TPC Deere Run
This course will never be known as one of the tougher on the PGA Tour schedule. The average winning score over the last seven editions is a little lower than 21 under par. Michael Kim won this event in 2018 at 27 under. It is a Par 71 and reaches 7,268 yards. We need scorers in our lineups, guys who can go low consistently over four days. If a player hopes to stay in contention, they will have to shoot an average of 66 each day to stay with the pack. Players who have had success on this course hit the fairways a little over fifty percent of the time while they hit the greens close to seventy-five percent. It is known as a second shot golf course, meaning that these guys are firing at pins all day long. You don’t have to pay up for bombers this weekend when you look over the players who have had success here like Harris English, Chez Reavie, Jordan Spieth and Russell Knox.
The Weather for the John Deere Classic: Silvis, Illinois
We do not have any significant weather concerns this weekend, that’s the positive. It will be hot with temps in the mid to upper 80s throughout the event. I would actually say that the humidity will be the biggest challenge for these players, trying to keep cool while playing in the middle of the day.
How To Watch The John Deere Classic
The coverage for the John Deere Classic will be quite easy to follow. Rounds 1 and 2 on Thursday and Friday will air from 4-7pm ET on the Golf Channel. The weekend coverage will start on Golf Channel from 1-2:30p ET before moving over to CBS from 3-6pm ET.
John Deere Classic Coverage from Fantasy Alarm
A full PGA DFS Playbook will be available on DFSAlarm.com Wednesday morning at 10am ET. We will also have a full run of PGA DFS example lineups available beginning at 2:30pm ET. We also help you with DFS lineup construction with our usual tools like our PGA DFS Lineup Generator and a full run of PGA DFS projections.
I look forward to getting more in-depth in my PGA DFS Playbook. As always, I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your games.
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Justin Thomas arrived at the Travelers Championship amidst a bit of a slump but left with 25 birdies to manage a T9 finish, his first top 10 since March.
Thomas is known for his stellar rate of big finishes over the course of his career but that changed recently with six straight finishes landing outside of the top 10. A cold putter has been the culprit for much of the downturn but he managed to fight through the flat-stick woes this week. Thomas lost 1.9 strokes putting at TPC River Highlands but ranked 3rd in strokes gained tee-to-green. It was a promising result to rebuild some confidence but he still has some work to do in the putting department. Despite the nice finish this week, Thomas is just 66th in the FedExCup race.
Brian Harman tossed together a 6-under 64 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, posting a piece of second place on the final leaderboard (-20).
Harman entered the week with just one top 25 in his last 14 stroke-play events. It's been a slump for the straight shooter but TPC River Highlands was the perfect cure. The Georgia Bulldog gained 4.4 strokes on approach, 3.5 strokes around-the-green, and 4.9 strokes putting. All three ranked 13th or better for the week. This was far from his first taste of success at the course, going in the books as his sixth career top 10 at TPC River Highlands.
Chez Reavie started the day just one shot off the pace but stumbled with a 1-over 71 to drop back to a share of fourth place on the final leaderboard.
Reavie and overnight leader Keegan Bradley were in a tier of their own to begin the day. Reavie dropped a rung with seven pars and two bogeys before the turn. His driver remained steady (12-of-14 fairways) but lost strokes in each of the other three categories of strokes gained today. It was a day to forget but a week to remember for Reavie who still managed a T4 finish, vaulting him from 114th to 95th in the FedExCup race.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler steadied a 5-under 65 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, ending the week on 19-under 261, good for a slice of fourth place.
The Texan piled up 21 birdies and a pair of eagles this week at TPC River Highlands. He ended the week ranked second in strokes gained tee-to-green (+11.08). He's now gained at least 10.6 strokes in that department in six straight events. Scheffler carded three sub-66 rounds this week but a two-birdie 70 on Friday is what held him back from truly contending. The World No. 1 now has six straight top-5 finishes and you have to go back to October to find the last time he finished worse than 12th. It's safe to say he's been the most consistent golfer on the planet over the last nine months.
Rory McIlroy raced out of the gate on Sunday at the Travelers Championship before slowing his pace to record a 6-under 64, ending his week in a share of seventh place (18-under 262).
McIlroy circled birdies on five of the first seven holes today. He couldn't maintain that pace but still bettered the field average by more than three shots today. McIlroy tossed together four sub-69 rounds this week at TPC River Highlands but didn't even sniff contention over the weekend. "I don't particularly like when a tournament is like this. Unfortunately technology has passed this course by, right? It sort of has made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had." The Northern Irishman now has five straight top-10 finishes and has his game trending back toward the winner's circle just in time for the season's final major and the FedExCup Playoffs.
Patrick Cantlay gave the leader a small scare down the stretch was swallowed two late bogeys to finish on 19-under this week at the Travelers Championship, four shots off the winning tally of Keegan Bradley.
Cantlay was slow out of the gate with eight pars and a birdie before the turn. He applied some pressure with four birdies on the next six holes, all while Keegan Bradley was starting to leak with three straight bogeys. That shrunk the lead to just three shots be Cantlay stumbled home with two bogeys and a par. "I thought I struck the ball very solid all day. Played smart. Not the finish I wanted obviously, but my game is in a good spot and a lot of big tournaments left this summer." The UCLA alum carded four sub-69 rounds this week and led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green. Cantlay now has six straight top 15s at TPC River Highlands. He collected two victories last season but still searching for his first win of the 2022-23 campaign.