Sport
John Deere Classic preview: Straka to take a Sepp forward in the right direction at TPC Deere Run
Independence Day marks the start of the John Deere Classic making Silvis, Illinois, in America’s heartland – the perfect place to celebrate the nation’s birthday.
The course playing host to this event is of course TPC Deere Run, and it measures as a 7,268-yard par 71, with the Bentgrass greens sure to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to the field’s short game due to it’s fast and true nature.
We take a look at two players below who we think have what it takes to win this year’s John Deere Classic.
Sepp Straka 16/1
Last year’s winner Sepp Straka is just second in the overall market, and given his electrifying form of late, we reckon he could go back-to-back. In last year’s tournament, Straka was way out at T14 after three rounds, and managed to shoot an unbelievable round of 62 to position him two shots ahead of the field when draining the last putt.
The Austrian has made 12 cuts from 17 starts this season, coming the top five on four occasions, with no wins to his name just yet, but he’ll be looking to put his drought to an end here. Before the US Open, Straka’s last two appearances saw him finish T5 in both the Charles Schwab Challenge and then the Memorial Tournament two weeks later, and that’s the kind of form he’ll be looking to replicate.
Despite the big stick not being of prime importance, Straka does rank second on tour for Driving average, which is head and shoulders above the field average here, and that should allow him to dial in to the greens with ease and pick up those all-important birdies.
Although slightly short at 16/1, there’s still value to be had in the eight places available with William Hill, and should he find his prior form, he could be a serious contender to keep the trophy in his cabinet for another year.
Lucas Glover 50/1
The players love to shoot low around TPC Deere Run and one man who knows that for sure is Lucas Glover, who won here back in 2021 clocking in 19 under par. He also posted a respectable T6 last year, with a T10 finish back in 2019.
Despite being on a bit of a cold streak at the moment, missing two of his last three cuts, it’s his 15th time teeing it up at the John Deere Classic, and only four players in the field who have played this course more than once have averaged more shots gained from tee-to-green than Glover. With that in mind, we can expect a solid showing from this course veteran this time around.
Tee-to-green, Glover is right up there with the best, ranking 13th in the field which as mentioned previously is vital when negotiating the tricky greens. His approach play is where he really makes up for any wayward tee shots, ranking just 13th on tour for his shots gained approaching the green. With the flatstick in hand, Glover is extremely reliable, ranking 20th on tour for avoiding any three-putts, which will be sure to pay dividends if the putter is hot this weekend.
If he reverts back to his previous form before the slight dip, where he etched in seven T25 or better finishes in a row, we could see a serious bounce back to days of old and the price of 50/1 becomes far more appealing for him to finish in the eight places available with William Hill.
