John Deere Classic
Purse: $8.8M
Winner's Share: 1.584M
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to the Winner
Location: Silvis, Ill.
Course: TPC Deere Run
Yardage: 7,327
Par: 71
Previous Winners
2025 - Brian Campbell (-18)
2024 - Davis Thompson (-28)
2023 - Sepp Straka (-21)
2022 - J.T. Poston (-21)
2021 - Lucas Glover (-19)
2020 - No Tournament
2019 - Dylan Frittelli (-21)
2018 - Michael Kim (-27)
2017 - Bryson DeChambeau (-18)
2016 - Ryan Moore (-22)
2015 - Jordan Spieth (-20)
Recap: Hovland overcomes Scheffler in Monday playoff
The Traveler's Championship came down to a two-horse race over the weekend between Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler, with the duo trading leads over the final two rounds. The end of Sunday's round had the duo tied atop the leaderboard at 21-under, but inclement weather resulted in the playoff waiting until Monday. Both players found the green in regulation on the first playoff hole, and while Hovland successfully converted his birdie opportunity, Scheffler's 10-foot attempt burned the left side of the cup, handing the 28-year-old Nord his first win of the season and eighth of his PGA Tour career. Meanwhile, it was the third runner-up finish of the year for Scheffler, who has not won a tournament since his 2026 debut at The American Express, though the world no. 1 sits atop the FedExCup Standings thanks to his nine top-5 finishes.
While the Travelers was dominated by the duel between Hovland and Scheffler, other players made their mark in the final Signature Event of the season. Collin Morikawa ended his round as the clubhouse leader at 20-under but settled for a solo third after both Hovland and Scheffler scored par on the 72nd hole. Matt Fitzpatrick used a six-under 64 final round to jump to a solo fourth finish while his brother, Alex Fitzpatrick, finished in a three-way tie for seventh, as the younger Fitzpatrick continues to take full advantage of the PGA Tour membership that he earned courtesy of the brother's victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Akshay Bhatia and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark rounded out the top-5, with other notable performances including J.J. Spaun (T7), Robert MacIntyre (T10). Sam Burns (T12), Tommy Fleetwood (T14), Shane Lowry (T22), PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai (T30), Cameron Young (T47) and Ludvig Aberg (T55).
Preview: John Deere Classic
The final major of the year, The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, is only two weeks away. Coming off the last Signature Event of the year, most of the top players have opted to skip the John Deere Classic in favor of the Genesis Scottish Open, the latter of which gives those in the field the opportunity to adjust to the timezone and links-style course design ahead of golf's oldest major. That doesn't mean that the John Deere Classic lacks talent. Three of the top-25 ranked players in the world -- Chris Gotterup (13th), Ben Griffin (18th) and Jacob Bridgeman (25th) -- will all tee off at TPC Deere Run this week, along with other notable names such as Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth.
The tournament is a birdie-fest, with five of the last seven victors winning with a 20-under par score or better. Only three of the par-4 holes are over 450 yards, and none of the par-5s are over 600. The fairways are generously wide and there aren't a ton of hazards on the course, with just 76 bunkers and water playing a factor on three holes. That makes SG: Tee-to-Green/Approach two key stats to look for, as well as par-4 and 5 scoring.
Underdog Contest Overview
Underdog hosts drafts every week at three buy-in amounts; The Par 3 at $3, the featured draft at $10, and "The Sandbagger" at $100. Each entrant will be paired up with five other participants and participate in a six-man snake draft of teams made up of six players (36 total selections), with each selection on a 30-second timer. For example, the person with the first overall pick and lucky enough to get Scheffler (unless you like to live dangerously) will have to wait until 2.6 and 3.1 to make their next selections. Points are allocated to golfers based on their performance on every hole, with bonus points available for golfers who make consecutive birdies or finish a round bogey free.
First Two Rounds
Keith Mitchell (3.1 Average Draft Position)
Ben Griffin (1.2 ADP) and Chris Gotterup (2.2 ADP) have been the top-2 players taken in the majority of early drafts, but Mitchell provides good value in the third spot. He's finished in the top-30 in four of his last five tournaments, including solo fifth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and T4 at the U.S. Open two weeks ago. He's been one of the best drivers on Tour this season, ranking fifth and 15th in SG: Off-the-Tee and Tee-to-Green, respectively. He's also 40th in SG: Approach, including 18th in approaches from 50-to-125 yards.
Jackson Suber (6.9 ADP)
It's been an up-and-down season for Suber, who has missed the cut in six of 14 tournaments (including the U.S. Open). However, he's coming off a solid T30 at the Travelers Championship and finished fourth both at THE CJ CUP and the RBC Canadian Open. Suber ranks third in proximity, 10th in GIR, 23rd in SG: Approach and 37th in SG: Tee-to-Green this season.
Eric Cole (10.4 ADP)
Cole had five top-15 finishes in a six-tournament span, including a playoff loss to Russell Henley at the Charles Schwab Challenge in late May. The former has cooled off a bit with an MC at the Canadian Open, and he was in the top-5 at the Travelers Championship before dropping 33 spots to T38 after a three-over 73 score in the final round. Still, given the strength of the field, grabbing Cole in the mid-to-late second round is good value. He's been one of the best players on and around the green this season and ranks fifth in approaches from 125-to-150 yards.
Jordan Spieth (12.5 ADP)
Spieth has yet to capture a top-10 finish this season despite logging eight top-25s. However, this week provides a prime opportunity for him to get that elusive top-10 finish, given that he won this event in 2013 and 2015, both in playoffs. The last time Spieth teed off at the John Deere Classic was in 2024, when he finished T26 with a 15-under cumulative score.
Also consider: J.T. Poston (9.0 ADP -- was having a nice final round at the Travelers before carding a 12 on the par-5 13th hole, but had finished T4 at the U.S. Open and won the Memorial Tournament prior).
Middle-Round Value
Blades Brown (14.1 ADP)
The 19-year-old Brown has Special Temporary Membership status for the rest of the 2026 season and should earn a 2027 PGA Tour card as long as he finishes in the top-20 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points list (he currently sits 12th). He's coming off a T55 at the Memorial Health Championship on the Korn Ferry but has played well on the PGA, where he's made the cut in six of seven tournaments that includes four top-20 finishes, such as solo third at the Puerto Rico Open and T9 at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic.
Carson Young (17.6 ADP)
Young has spent most of the 2026 season on the Korn Ferry Tour and sits just outside the top-20 in 21st. He's finished 35th or worse in all seven of his PGA outings this season but has played well at the John Deere Classic, having finished T5 in each of the last two years. A strong performance this week could give Young the momentum he needs to earn a spot into the PGA Tour for next year.
Davis Thompson (20.4 ADP)
Thompson has finished T35 or worse in each of his last four outings, including a missed cut at the U.S. Open. However, he's returning to a course he's enjoyed success on, having won the John Deere Classic in 2024 with a blistering 28-under cumulative score. Thompson followed that up with a T18 in 2025, so grabbing him late in the third round or early in the fourth isn't a bad idea. He ranks in the top-50 in SG: Tee-to-Green, par-4 scoring, GIR and proximity this season.
Also consider: Sungjae Im (23.8 ADP -- coming off a T30 at the Travelers Championship, when he finished 10th and 11th in birdies and SG: Putting, respectively, while also ranking 17th in SG: Off-the-Tee)
Late-Round Targets
Michael Kim (25.4 ADP)
Kim has made the cut in each of his last eight outings since failing to make it to the weekend at The Masters in mid-April. Though he's missed the cut in each of his last five outings at the John Deere Classic, Kim also won this event back in 2018 with a 27-under cumulative score, so grabbing him late in the draft is a solid dart throw for a guy who should know the course well.
Daniel Berger (30.7 ADP)
Berger bounced back from back-to-back missed cuts to finish T25 at the Travelers, which was his best finish since the Cadillac Championship in late May (T23). He's made the cut in three of his four prior outings at the John Deere, including T5 in 2017. Berger ranks ninth in SG: Approach, 18th in total driving (including 43rd in driving accuracy) and 22nd in GIR this season.
Johnny Keefer (34.8 ADP)
Keefer went seven-over at the U.S. Open two weeks ago, which was still good enough for him to finish in a share of 39th, and he ended the event nicely with an even-par 70 in the final round. He ranks second in GIR, eighth in proximity eighth in SG: Off-the-Tee (including 11th in driving distance and 16th in total driving) and 23rd in SG: Approach, including in approaches from greater than 100 yards.
Also consider: Haotong Li (35.5 ADP -- has made the cut in just seven of 16 tournaments but ranks 27th in SG: Off-the-Tee and 32nd in SG: Approach), Austin Smotherman (36.0 ADP -- one of the best iron players on Tour, ranking 14th in SG: Approach as well as 22nd in driving accuracy and 34th in SG: Off-the-Tee).
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