John Deere Classic Tips and Predictions

With many of the world’s top golfers stepping up their preparations for the upcoming Open Championship, the PGA Tour heads to Illinois this week for the John Deere Classic.

TPC Deere Run often offers up plenty of birdie opportunities, with a real mixture of winners over the last 10 years.

It was Davis Thompson who claimed the $1.44million first prize 12 months ago, which was his debut win on Tour, and the American is 33/1 to defend his title.

John Deere Classic Power Rankings

John Deere Classic Tips Summary

30/1 - Jake Knapp to win (each way)
33/1 - Luke Clanton to win (each way)

Key Tournament Stats

• Davis Thompson’s 28-under-par last year was the tournament’s record score

• Americans have won 15 of the last 17 editions of the John Deere Classic

• The only European to have ever won the event was Austria’s Sepp Straka in 2023

• The course record is 59, carded by Paul Goydos in the opening round of this tournament back in 2010 and by Hayden Springer in 2024

• The John Deere Classic is a final chance for players not already exempt to earn entry into The Open, if they finish in the top five.

John Deere Classic Prediction

Best Bet: Jake Knapp to win and each-way @ 30/1

There have been some good signs from Jake Knapp in recent weeks, as he goes in search of a second win on the PGA Tour.

The man from California finished tied-12th at the Players Championship back in March, but then missed the cut in two of his next three tournaments.

Knapp then finished third, alongside Frankie Cappan III, in April’s Zurich Classic pairs event and there have been positives in the last couple of weeks.

A T27 spot at the Canadian Open was followed by a T4 finish at the Rocket Classic, when he carded a second-round 61.

The 31-year-old now heads to an event where he started well last year, with Knapp carding an opening round 66 at TPC Deere Run.

Recent performances have seen the 2024 Mexico Open winner move back inside the world’s top-100 in the rankings.

Warren Ashurst explains:

Knapp ranks inside the top-25 on Tour for driving distance and a good week off the tee should give him a solid chance to compete at the top of the leaderboard. He ranks 12th for Total Birdies and carded a 59 earlier in the Cognizant Classic in March.

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Alternative Bet: Luke Clanton to win and each-way @ 33/1

Luke Clanton only became a PGA Tour professional in February, but is already threatening his first victory.

The former world number one amateur has played in only eight tournaments since the start of 2025, but already has two top-20 finishes.

Clanton would have likely recorded another T20 spot last week, but a third round 77 at the Rocket Classic saw him eventually finish T60.

The man from Florida has happy memories of the John Deere Classic, where he finished in tied-second 12 months ago.

On that occasion, the 21-year-old carded four sub-70 rounds including 63s in the first and final rounds.

Last year’s performance also saw Clanton make history, becoming the first amateur since 1958 to finish in the top-10 of back-to-back PGA Tour events.

Warren Ashurst added:

Clanton carded 18 birdies at last week’s Rocket Classic and if he can stay consistent through four rounds, it won’t be long until he’s in the winner’s enclosure. A top-five finish this week will see him qualify for the Open Championship at Royal County Down.

View the full market and more odds for the John Deere Classic 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.