Golf best bets: 2 long shots to target at the John Deere Classic

We enjoyed a profitable week in long shots at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, as Patton Kizzire finished T20 to cash some juicy top-20 (+700) and top-40 (+190) tickets. This week's John Deere Classic features a similar, weak field with no superstars at the top of the board, so it's another solid opportunity to target long shots.

Here are the two bombs we're eyeing up for the John Deere Classic.

David Skinns (+15000 DraftKings )

Not many casual golf fans have ever heard of Skinns, but the 42-year-old is putting together a rather impressive season. Since missing four cuts in a row to begin the year, the Englishman has recorded six top-21 finishes in his last 12 starts. He ranked second in the field in strokes gained on approach last week en route to a T17 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which marked his best iron week of 2024. He's now gained strokes on approach in four of his last five starts.

Skinns also ranked 19th in the field last week in strokes gained from putting. Iron play and putting are the two biggest keys to success at TPC Deere Run, and those just happen to be Skinns' two biggest strengths right now. He ranks first on the PGA Tour this season in par 3 scoring average, which will give him a huge advantage on a golf course in which three of the four par 3s played over par last year.

Skinns has made a habit of popping up on the leaderboard at these weaker events, so this is a perfect week for him.

Top-20 finish: +450; Top-40 finish: +150

Zach Johnson (+20000 DK )

If you want to back a horse for the course this week, look no further than Johnson. In 21 career starts at the John Deere Classic, the veteran has a win, seven top-five finishes and 16 top-40 finishes. He grew up about an hour away from TPC Deere Run in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, so no one in the field has more experience playing these types of courses in the Midwest.

Johnson isn't the same player he once was, of course, but he does have two top-20 finishes in his last five starts. The 48-year-old ranks 23rd on Tour this season in strokes gained from putting and 18th in putting from 15-20 feet. He's also gained strokes on approach in five of his last six starts, so he's coming into his hometown event with some confidence.

Top-20 finish: +500; Top-40 finish: +160