2024 John Deere Classic: Course & Field Preview, Key Stats, + Odds

The PGA Tour remains in the midwest for one more week and heads from Detroit, Michigan to Silvis, Illinois for the 2024 John Deere Classic. TPC Deere Run, designed by D.A. Weibring, a three-time tournament winner himself, has hosted the event every year since the course was established in 1999. The tournament has been home to the Quad Cities since 1972, with Crow Valley Country Club in Davenport, Iowa (1971-1974) and Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Illinois (1975-1999) being the two previous host courses.

Many memorable moments have been created since TPC Deere Run took over as the tournament location. Michelle Wie infamously made her first PGA Tour start here on a tournament exemption as a teenager in 2005. Steve Stricker iconicly rattled off three consecutive wins at the John Deere Classic from 2009-2011. Jordan Spieth also picked up his first of 13 PGA Tour victories in 2013, sparking a remarkable four-year stretch to burst into golf superstardom. Fellow major champions Bryson DeChambeau, Zach Johnson, Lucas Glover, and Brian Harman also have won this event.

With the John Deere being the final event before the PGA Tour treks across the Atlantic Ocean ahead of the Open Championship, most high-end players typically rest up this week instead of teeing it up at TPC Deere Run. However, Jordan Spieth is somewhat surprisingly playing in the Quad Cities for the first time since 2015, giving a bit of added juice to the tournament. Sungjae Im, Jason Day, Denny McCarthy, Keith Mitchell, J.T. Poston, and defending champion Sepp Straka are also part of the 156-player field.

Notable up-and-comers Michael Thorbjornsen, Nick Dunlap, Neal Shipley, and Luke Clanton get another opportunity to showcase their talents this week, while Jackson Buchanan and Cole Sherwood make their non-major PGA Tour debuts. Buchanan, currently a junior at the University of Illinois, was named Big Ten Golfer of the Year in 2024 and played in the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. Sherwood, who finished seventh in the 2024 PGA Tour University rankings, was named All-SEC First Team this past season and was a standout for a uber-successful Vanderbilt team.

THE ODDS

Sungjae Im (+1400), Sepp Straka (+1600), Aaron Rai (+1800), and Jordan Spieth (+2200) enter the week as the betting favorites, according to BetRivers Sportsbook.

Maverick McNealy (+2200), Denny McCarthy (+2200), Davis Thompson (+2500), Keith Mitchell (+3000), Jason Day (+3300), J.T. Poston (+3300), Adam Svensson (+4000), Nick Dunlap (+4000), Kevin Yu (+4500), and Luke Clanton (+4500) are the rest of the players listed below 50/1 odds.

Lucas Glover (+5000), Beau Hossler (+5000), Eric Cole (+5000), Sam Stevens (+5000), Seamus Power (+5000), Mark Hubbard (+5500), Daniel Berger (+5500), Doug Ghim (+6000), Lee Hodges (+6000), Ben Griffin (+6000), Patrick Rodgers (+6000), Michael Thorbjornsen (+6600), Adam Schenk (+6600), Ryo Hisatsune (+6600), Neal Shipley (+6600), Andrew Putnam (+6600), and Thorbjorn Olesen (+6600) fill up the jam-packed middle tier of the betting board.

Andrew Novak (+7000), Jhonnatan Vegas (+8000), Brendon Todd (+8000), Greyson Sigg (+9000), Jacob Bridgeman (+9000), J.J. Spaun (+9000), Nate Lashley (+9000), Joel Dahmen (+9000), Ben Silverman (+9000), Michael Kim (+9000), and Mac Meissner (+9000) are the rest of the players under 100/1.

For the complete tournament odds board, click here .

*Odds subject to change*

PAST WINNERS

2023: Sepp Straka (-21)

2022: J.T. Poston (-21)

2021: Lucas Glover (-19)

2019: Dylan Frittelli (-21)

2018: Michael Kim (-27)

KEY STATS

SG: Approach

Opportunities Gained

Birdie or Better Percentage

Bogey Avoidance

Proximity 100-125/125-150 Yards

Proximity 200-225 Yards

SG: Par-5s (550-660 Yards)

Par-4s: 350-400 Yards/400-450 Yards

SG: Putting (Bentgrass)

SG: Total (Easy)

THE COURSE

TPC Deere Run (par 71) is a Parkland-style course that stretches 7,289 yards and features receptive fairways (41 yards wide on average), four-inch Kentucky Bluegrass rough, 76 sand bunkers, three holes with water hazards, and Bentgrass fairways and green complexes. The course also features heavily-sloped fairways and drastic elevation changes, leaving players with numerous uneven lies into the greens with their approach shots.

Players will face a par-71 layout this week, meaning there are 11 par-4s, four par-3s, and three par-5s.

Among the 11 par-4s, seven are shorter than 450 yards. Two of the four par-4s that are longer than 450 yards come in the final four holes, with No. 14 reaching 484 yards and No. 18 reaching 476 yards. Both ranked among the four toughest holes on the course in 2023. However, the rest of the par-4s (outside of the 503-yard 9th hole) are sure-fire birdie opportunities.

Two of the four par-3s play over 200 yards, the longest being the 226-yard 7th hole. Three of TPC Deere Run's par-3s ranked among the seven most difficult holes on the course in 2023. The 156-yard 16th hole was the outlier of the group. The average distance of the par-3s is 187.5 yards.

All three par-5s are shorter than 600 yards and will be reachable in two shots for most of the field, especially the 561-yard 2nd hole. The 569-yard 17th is another prime scoring opportunity late in the round that's sandwiched between the two pesky par-4s mentioned earlier. The average distance of the par-5s is 575 yards.

With wide fairways, receptive green complexes, three scoreable par-5s, and numerous short par-4s, it's unsurprising that the tournament winner has reached 20-under in four of the past five years. With the weather forecast looking promising once again for the Fourth of July weekend, birdie-making is the name of the game this week. Players will need to carry a hot putter to be in the mix on Sunday, as that's historically been the way to separate from the pack on this setup.

All in all, I'll target birdie makers with elite wedge play who typically light it up in easier scoring conditions and take advantage of short par-4s. I will also key in on players who don't make many bogeys, as any hiccup or step back can be costly in a scoring frenzy like this. But wedge play and putting upside are the two difference makers this week.

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