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Best Bets to Win the John Deere Classic (PGA Betting)

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What an entertaining couple of months it has been on the PGA Tour. Last week, we had another first-time winner, as rookie phenom Matthew Wolff claimed his first championship in only his fourth start on Tour. It was a crushing loss for Bryson DeChambeau, who hopelessly watched Wolff’s eagle putt go in on the last hole. We cashed in on one of my betting tips last week, as Wyndham Clark (100-1) finished T5 to make us some money on the each-way. The PGA Tour will now move to Illinois for the annual John Deere Classic.

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Course/Field Preview

With the year’s final major tournament on tap next week, this is by far the weakest field of the PGA calendar year. Zero players in the top-50 world rankings will participate in the John Deere Classic this week. While this may sound underwhelming, we should still see another low-scoring event with plenty of fireworks on the horizon. TPC Deere Run ranked 46 out of 51 in course difficulty last year and should present a ton of birdie opportunities. It is a par-71 track that measures at only 7,268 yards and has bentgrass greens.

Outright Bets

Sung-Jae Im (22/1 on William Hill Sportsbook)
The talented Korean is long overdue for his first PGA Tour title and with a weak field this week, I really like his chances. IM has four straight top-25 finishes and this course should suit him well. A birdie making machine, Sung-Jae leads the entire PGA in total birdies and is also third in total eagles. He is 12th in scoring average on Tour and should be able to rip the course apart as it is one of the easiest on Tour every single year.

Sam Ryder (80/1 with top five each-way on William Hill Sportsbook)
This is great value for a streaking golfer who rates highly in several key statistical categories this week. An elite putter, Ryder is 31st on Tour and possesses a sharp approach game (45th in approach). Scores are expected to be super low this week, and Ryder won’t have a problem making birdies. He is 35th in birdie or better, 36th in par-five scoring, and 33rd in par-four scoring. Did I mention Ryder tied for second at this event last year?

Troy Merritt (80/1 with top five each-way on William Hill Sportsbook)
Merritt will look to piggyback off his solid T7 performance at the 3M Open last week. Nineteenth in birdie or better in the entire PGA, Merritt is primed for another birdie-filled tournament. Par five scoring is a crucial skill to have this week at TPC Deere Run, and Merritt sneakily rates 10th in that category. He has played this event five years in a row and should know how to plot his way around the track well.

Nic Turner is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Nic, check out his archive and follow him @sportzbandit.