This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
John Deere Classic
Course: TPC Deere Run (7,289 yards, par 71)
Purse: $7,400,000
Winner: $1,332,000 and 500 FedExCup points
Tournament Preview
An underwhelming contingent of 156 entrants heads to Silvis, Illinois while much of the game's top talent prepares to head overseas for the upcoming Genesis Scottish Open and the Open Championship later this month, but the PGA Tour is enjoying a lingering buzz from Rickie Fowler's first win in over four years Sunday when he outlasted Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a dramatic playoff finish at Detroit Golf Club. Although the John Deere Classic field might lack in the superstar department, these are often the instances when golf DFS grinders find additional edges, having studied deep into player pools all season. Our competitors might be hearing the name Alex Smalley for the first time ever, but we already know he's a ball-striking stud who'll give you nightmares from inside 15 feet.
Recent Champions
2022 - J.T. Poston (-21)
2021 - Lucas Glover (-19)
2020 - None
2019 - Dylan Frittelli (-21)
2018 - Michael Kim (-27)
2017 - Bryson DeChambeau (-18)
2016 - Ryan Moore (-22)
2015 - Jordan Spieth (-20)
2014 - Brian Harman (-22)
2013 - Jordan Spieth (-19)
Key Stats to Victory
- Birdie or Better percentage
- SG: Approach
- Proximity: 75-150 yards
- SG: Putting (bentgrass)
Champion's Profile
Notching a top-20 finish at last week's Rocket Mortgage Classic required dipping at least 16 shots into red numbers, and a similarly-themed birdie fest is expected to present itself this week in the Quad Cities where soft conditions, wide fairways and simple bentgrass greens all function to promote low scoring at TPC Deere Run. The relatively easy par-71 layout features a trio of reachable par-5s and eight par-4s that measure 454 yards or less, so wedges and putters must be sharp in order to separate from the pack. Last year, Poston became the tournament's third wire-to-wire winner despite averaging just 294.9 yards off the tee, though he still managed to pace the field in par-4 scoring and rank second in par-5 scoring on the way to 22 total birdies and two eagles in 72 holes.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Russell Henley ($11,800)
Second to none in SG: Approach over his last 24 rounds, Henley has been especially solid with his full wedge play from 100-150 yards, guiding him to a top-5 ranking in P4: 400-450 Efficiency during this stretch as well. He's the most accurate driver on Tour this season, and he's a collective 33-under-par across his past two visits to TPC Deere Run, notably finishing runner-up here in 2019 when he fired a final-round 61 and ultimately averaged a ridiculous seven birdies per round.
Adam Schenk ($10,600)
Gaining an average of 2.4 strokes per event with the flat stick over his past five starts, Schenk has paired a hot putter with elite irons from 150-175 yards to sit fourth in Birdies or Better Gained over his last 24 rounds. He's gained strokes approaching the green in seven consecutive outings, and he placed top-6 in back-to-back John Deere Classic appearances in 2019 and 2021, ranking second in both putting average and SG: Putting here two years ago.
Eric Cole ($10,500)
Not only has Cole become Mr. Reliable with eight top-40s in his last 10 starts, but he's also No. 1 in Birdies or Better and eighth in Opportunities Gained over his past 24 rounds, flashing upside in more than just a cash-game setting. The rising rookie has gained at least 2.6 strokes on the greens in four straight tournaments dating back to the Memorial.
Emiliano Grillo ($10,400)
Grillo's metrics jump off the page as a course fit for TPC Deere Run, as he ranks sixth or better in each of SG: APP, SG: Putting, Prox: 150-175 and BoB Gained over his past 24 rounds. He also tied for second in his JDC debut last year, so for good reason, this combination could make Grillo one of the highest-owned players on the slate.
Longer Shots with Value
Doug Ghim ($9,500)
Landing one spot ahead of Grillo, Ghim is perched atop my 24-round custom model this week, boosted by his P5: 550-600 Efficiency and overall par-5 scoring, though he's also top-25 in both Prox: 100-125 and Prox: 125-150 within this sample. The putter hasn't been nearly as strong as the ball striking, but Ghim actually just gained a season-high 3.6 strokes putting at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Chez Reavie ($9,000)
Although he lost strokes with the putter for the first time since THE PLAYERS Championship, Reavie posted his best approach performance since 2008 in Detroit last week, pacing the Rocket Mortgage Classic field in SG: APP by more than an entire stroke. He's ascended to sixth in SG: APP and fifth in Opportunities Gained over his last 24 rounds as a result, stringing together three top-30 finishes since the RBC Canadian Open in the process.
Dylan Wu ($8,700)
Wu's week at Detroit Golf Club was highlighted by an albatross on the par-5 14th hole in Round 1, and he finished the Rocket Mortgage Classic with 22 total par-breakers despite losing 2.24 strokes off the tee. He's now placed 32nd or better in three of his past four starts, jumping to No. 5 in Birdies or Better Gained over his last 24 rounds.
Akshay Bhatia ($8,700)
The John Deere Classic debutant is as volatile as they come, but Bhatia can provide leverage in GPP contests after disappointing his backers by placing MC-T68-MC-56 in his last four showings. However, he gained strokes off the tee in each of these starts, and he's top-8 in eagle rate, par-5 scoring and Prox: 125-150 over his last 24 rounds. If he's able to putt even at just a field-average level, Bhatia harnesses the ball-striking prowess to return fantasy value at $8,700, and maybe even contend Sunday.
Strategy Tips This Week
Based on a Standard $60K Salary Cap
You can make a solid argument that the top of this board doesn't include any true star power, at least not until Ludvig Aberg gains more experience, so stars and scrubs strategies may be less common, especially with so many unproven sleeper options in the lower salary ranges. Balanced builds that include 2-4 names in the $10Ks would therefore be popular, although there is a min-priced PGA Tour debutant who's caught my eye over the past couple months. A $7,000 Tommy Kuhl is certain to be extremely low-owned in any format and should probably only be deployed in large-field, low stakes contests, if at all, but the Morton, IL native produced a T7 result in the individual portion of the NCAA D1 Men's Championship on a difficult Grayhawk track before winning his match 3&2 in the quarterfinals for Mike Small's Illinois squad in May. Kuhl then placed top-30 in his first two starts as a professional on the Canadian Tour before earning a sponsor exemption for the JDC in his home state, where he obviously provides a ton of salary relief when attempting to complete a rare McCarthy-Young-Henley stack for example.
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