The PGA Tour action heads to Illinois for this week's John Deere Classic and it promises to be another low-scoring event at TPC Deere Run.
Brian Campbell claimed the spoils last year on 18-under-par, but that was the first time since 2021 that the winning score has dipped under 20-under and making plenty of birdies is a requirement.
Ben Griffin and Chris Gotterup have been installed as the 14/1 favourites, ahead of 20/1 Keith Mitchell and 22/1 Keegan Bradley.
Jackson Koivun is making his professional debut this week and he is priced at 25/1 to make an instant impact, with J.T. Poston and Jacob Bridgeman available at 28/1.
John Deere Classic Tips Summary
Best Bet - Blades Brown to win and each-way @ 55/1
Alternative Bet - Jacob Bridgeman to win and each-way @ 28/1
Alternative Bet - Aldrich Potgieter to win and each-way @ 50/1
John Deere Classic Prediction
Best Bet: Blades Brown to win and each-way @ 55/1
Blades Brown made a name for himself at The American Express back in January, as he narrowly missed a putt on the 18th hole for a score of 59 during his second round, and he has continued to grow as the year goes on.
Threatening to make his PGA Tour breakthrough, the 19-year-old American was also third at the Puerto Rico Open, tied ninth at the Myrtle Beach Classic and tied 14th at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Splitting his time between the main US circuit and the Korn Ferry Tour this year, Brown is close to breaking into the world's top 100 for the first time and he has the potential to thrive on his debut at the John Deere.
Brown, who is 21st in birdie average on the KFT, has reached -19 and -18 in two of his six individual starts on the PGA Tour this season and that ability to shoot low scores stands him in good stead.
Alternative Bet: Jacob Bridgeman to win and each-way @ 28/1
A hot putter will be required this week and there are not many better with that club than Jacob Bridgeman, who ranks second in strokes gained putting, total putting and putting average.
The American won his maiden PGA title at the Genesis Invitational in February and he kept the momentum going in his next two starts, finishing tied 18th at the Arnold Palmer and sharing fifth at the Players.
Having gone off the boil slightly after that purple patch of form, the 26-year-old was tied 11th at the Canadian Open two starts ago and that should have restored a good amount of confidence.
Bridgeman posted a top-five finish at TPC Deere Run last year and he looks to have every chance of putting in another strong challenge for glory.
Alternative Bet: Aldrich Potgieter to win and each-way @ 50/1
Aldrich Potgieter is well-known for how far he hits the ball - he ranks first in driving distance - but he has been working on fine-tuning his short game and he could contend for a second PGA Tour title.
The South African was tied eighth on his last start at the Canadian Open and his work on and around the greens was notable, as he was in the top 10 for strokes gained around the greens and putts per greens in regulation.
Potgieter can be streaky with the flat stick, evidenced by the fact he led in strokes gained putting in the first round of the PGA Championship, but he is starting to become more consistent with that club and that bodes well for this event.
Key Tournament Stats
This will be the 55th edition of the John Deere Classic
TPC Deere Run is a par-71 measuring 7,327 yards, with 11 par-fours, three par-fives and four par-threes
The winning score in 12 of the last editions has been 20-under-par or better
Davis Thompson won the title in 2024 with a record score of -28
Brian Campbell beat Emiliano Grillo in a play-off last year
Austrian Sepp Straka became the first European to win this tournament in 2023
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
