Before we travel to England next week for the season’s fourth and final major, the Open Championship, the PGA TOUR heads to Silvis, Ill., for the 2021 John Deere Classic (par 71, 7,268 yards). Last year’s edition of this tournament was one of the unfortunate cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so by default, Dylan Frittelli is the defending champ, winning this event at -21 in 2019. The South African was the eighth John Deere winner over the last decade to crack -20, and it’s safe to say TPC Deere Run is without a doubt one of the easiest venues on the annual PGA TOUR schedule.
To contend at this par 71, you have to be a strong iron player who catches fire on these Bentgrass greens. In other terms, this event becomes a pitch and putt contest for these pros. Three of the past five golfers to secure the novelty check in Silvis have ranked T10 or better in SG APP, and each of the past five John Deere champs has finished the week inside the top eight in SGP. This is one of the rare weeks that we need to put a large weight on putting stats, and analyzing these player’s putting splits on Bentgrass is absolutely crucial. As a par 71, there are three par 5s at TPC Deere Run. All of these holes present great birdie opportunities, and four of the past five golfers to win this event have ended the week T9 or better in SG on par 5s. Even more so, being efficient on par 4s is essential for success at this friendly track. In 2019, Frittelli led the field in SG on par 4s during his victory here, and he was the third consecutive John Deere Classic winner to accomplish this feat.
With the Open Championship at Royal St Georges just a week away, most of the best players in the world are taking this week off to prepare for the major. As a result, the John Deere Classic is hosting one of the weakest fields of the season. This is a full field of 156 players with a top 65 and ties cut following the second round, but Daniel Berger ($11,100) and Sungjae Im ($10,700) are the only top-30 ranked golfers in the world who will be bringing their talents to Silvis. Still, DraftKings is offering up a plethora of huge tournaments for DFS players, and below I give you four of my favorite value plays for the John Deere Classic.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $700K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st]
Scott Stallings, $7,400
After missing back-to-back cuts, Stallings got back on track last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, carding a T25. During this finish, the 36-year-old gained 5.0 strokes on approach, good enough to rank him sixth in the stat for the tournament. Furthermore, Stallings finished the week T12 in SG on the par 4s, and he had a strong outing with his flat stick, producing 2.1 strokes on the Bentgrass greens at Detroit Golf Club. Stallings is now six for his last 10 in made cuts and returns to TPC Deere Run, where he has generated three top-20 finishes in his last four trips to Silvis.
Stallings’ +6000 odds to capture a win this Sunday on DraftKings Sportsbook are very encouraging relative to his low price, and he is an excellent value to target for both cash games and GPPs.
Tyler Duncan, $7,000
Duncan has competed in the past two John Deere Classics, finishing T12 in 2018 and then T26 in 2019. As for his current form, the 31-year-old has made three straight cuts at the PGA TOUR level. During this run, Duncan has contributed positive strokes T2G in every start, ranking him 18th in SGT2G when we compare all of these golfers’ past 12 rounds.
His work on the greens has been shaky over this span, ranking 127th in SGP, but statistically, Duncan has been at his best on Bentgrass throughout his career. A high finish is certainly possible for Duncan if he can manage a solid showing with his putter this week, and rolling the dice on him at this soft price makes a ton of sense for GPPs.
Adam Schenk, $6,900
Schenk is coming off a tremendous week with his irons, leading the entire field in greens found at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He now ranks 27th in SG APP and eighth in GIR across his past 24 rounds, helping the Purdue product make nine of his past 13 cuts.
Also, Schenk has been extremely consistent on Bentgrass over the past few years. In his last 10 attempts at venues that are home to this type of putting surface, Schenk has only failed to make the cut on one occasion. He finished T6 at the last John Deere Classic and is a steal at this soft salary.
Roger Sloan, $6,900
At the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Sloan was brilliant on the Bentgrass greens, ranking eighth in SGP, en route to a T21 finish. The Canadian also gained strokes from T2G for the sixth consecutive event and this was the seventh time in his past 10 starts that he has proceeded to the weekend.
In addition to compelling form, Sloan has been outstanding at TPC John Deere. He posted a T18 at this venue in his course debut in 2015, and then followed this finish up with a T10 at the 2019 John Deere Classic. Sloan tends to always shine in weaker fields, and I love the upside he brings for a player so cheap.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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