As a prelude to The Open Championship, this week we will have at the TPC Deere Run in the Quad Cities community of Silvis, Illinois, a new edition of the John Deere Classic, which will have great golfers and some who are looking for one of the last places to the fourth Major.
The current champion is the Austrian Sepp Straka, who was crowned in 2023 in this course and has a par 71, with 7,257 yards, and that will be played from July 4 to 7.
Where can I watch it?
Golf Channel and CBS
2024 John Deere Classic Top Contenders
A golfer with history returns to this stage: Jordan Spieth. The 30-year-old American returns to where he won his first tournament as a professional and also made history in 2013, as he became the first junior (19) to win on the PGA Tour since 1931. Then, he won it again in 2015 and did not participate anymore.
Now, with the restructuring of the PGA calendar, he returns to this stage in search of his third title and equal what Donald Weibring and Steve Stricker achieved by winning it three times. However, the latter did it consecutively between 2009 and 2011.
It has not been Spieth’s best year. He has only been able to break the top 10 in three of the 17 tournaments he has played, and the last one was in early April. That is to say, innine tournaments falling short of the top, he even failed to cut in three of those. Apart from the three top 10s, his best position was 29th at the Wells Fargo Championship.
But in his favor, he knows the course, he was already champion here, and his presence intimidates his rivals, knowing his record in the John Deere Classic.
Another outstanding golfer to consider is South Korean Sung-Jae Im, who started as a favorite. A few days ago, he finished third in the Travelers Championship, his best position of the year in the PGA Tour, since in the Korean Tour, he won the title in the Woori Financial Group Championship, winning it for the second consecutive year. Undoubtedly, that performance at the Travelers makes him worthy of being one of the candidates here.
The 26-year-old golfer has two titles in the PGA Tour, but they were long ago: The Honda Classic in 2020 and Shriners Children’s Open in 2021, so it is about time he added a new trophy to his cabinet.
Finally, we cannot leave the defending champion out of the shortlist of candidates. Sepp Straka is having a good 2024 with four top 10s and nine top 25s in the 17 tournaments he has played. The Austrian won last year with a card of 263 strokes and -21, defeating Americans Alex Smalley and Brendon Todd.
That was just the second PGA Tour title for the 31-year-old, who had previously captured The Honda Classic in 2022. Straka was the first European to win the John Deere Classic and is looking to join the group of two-time winners that includes Spieth, Deane Beman, Scott Hoch, and David Frost.
2024 John Deere Classic Outside picks
On the other hand, watch out for Aaron Rai. The 29-year-old Englishman is coming off a runner-up finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and top 20 at the U.S. Open. He is in search of his first PGA Tour title and feels this may be the opportunity.
The American Denny McCarthy, runner-up in the Valero Texas Open, also arrives with the illusion of his first title, while an old acquaintance and Major champion Jason Day will also be present and will be among the contenders.
The Australian, who has 13 titles on the tour, was last champion on May 14 last year at the AT&T Byron Nelson, and it is about time to lift a trophy again.
2024 John Deere Classic Podium Betting Picks
1. Jordan Spieth
2. Sepp Straka
3. Sung-Jae Im
Prize bag
The John Deere Classic is a tournament with a total purse of 8 million dollars, which is distributed among its participants.The champion will receive 1.4 million dollars, in addition to 500 points for the FedEx Cup.
2024 John Deere Classic Betting Odds
Sung-Jae Im – 13.7
Sepp Straka – 16
Aaron Rai – 19
Jordan Spieth – 21
Denny McCarthy – 21
Davis Thompson – 23
Maverick McNealy – 24
James Tyree Poston – 29
Jason Day – 30
Keith Mitchell – 30
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