The 2023 John Deere Classic is the next PGA Tour event on tap. As we start to wind down the regular season schedule, with only one major left ahead of the FedExCup playoffs starting in August, players are scrambling to either hold their current FedExCup ranking or improve it, as the number of golfers who qualify has been reduced to 70, making it much stricter than previous years.
TPC Deere Run is the par 71 course that the field will be competing at ahead of Thursday’s opening round. Located in Silvis, Illinois, along the Mississippi River between the borders of Iowa and Illinois, this course should continue to cede low scores and plenty of red scorecards, just like we saw during the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club last weekend. The difference is how the course is designed, with much more elevation change compared to Detroit Golf Cub, plus a doglegged fairway on almost every par 4 and par 5 hole.
Most golfers competing at the 2022 John Deere Classic fared well with greens in regulation, and scrambling did not play as big of a role in determining the outright winner as it tends to do on other courses. Of course, ball striking is a premium, especially with smaller-sized bentgrass greens, which will run up to 12 feet via the Stimpmeter. Avoiding the four-inch bluegrass and other fescue in the areas surrounding the fairways and greens will be huge, as clean lines will easily set up birdie and eagle opportunities for players who make minimal mistakes off of the tee box.
There are quite a few good putters and ball strikers in the 2023 John Deere Classic field, which means we have a ton of value to acquire when constructing our DFS lineups at DraftKings and FanDuel. It’s the recipe for success at a course like TPC Deere Run, as the doglegged fairways, sprawling sand bunkers, and tiny greens form the primary hazards. A few water hazards will also come into play, but not at the rate we saw during the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week.
Here are six of my favorite golfers to target when building DFS lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round from TPC Deere Run at the 2023 John Deere Classic. We’ll find out why each one deserves to be in your lineups in order to cash a few contests while watching the most loaded field we’ve seen compete at the John Deere Classic since 2012.
Before we get into our John Deere Classic DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 John Deere Classic selections this week.
DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary
Russell Henley ($10,400)
Russell Henley already has an outright win under his belt, unlike many of the other outright betting favorites in this field, which is likely why he sits above every other player at 14/1 odds to collect his second outright win of the season at TPC Deere Run. Henley logged a T11 finish at this event during his last appearance in 2021, starting off -9-under-par before finishing -5-under-par across his final two rounds. Henley is ranked first in driving accuracy, first in scrambling from the fringe, and second in Round 3 scoring average. Plus, he’s 27th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 32nd around the green, and 28th in scrambling. Henley does most things very well on the golf course, so despite being the second-most expensive player on DraftKings’ slate, I strongly recommend inserting the Georgia native into your lineups.
Eric Cole ($9,700)
A name that has begun to surface more at recent PGA Tour events is Eric Cole. The 35-year-old California native is available to roster at a good value on DraftKings, especially since he’s generated 15-24 birdies in four consecutive events leading up to Thursday’s opening round. While Cole has not performed well historically at the John Deere Classic, I’m a believer in his current momentum and play, which has taken a notable step forward in 2023. He’s ranked 25th in total strokes gained, including 25th around the green and 17th putting. Plus, Cole is 12th in scrambling, which makes up for his inability to find greens in regulation. Don’t hesitate to lock Cole into lineups, despite his expected high ownership rate on DraftKings this week.
Peter Kuest ($7,400)
After lighting up the Rocket Mortgage Classic with a final round of -8-under-par, 25-year-old Peter Kuest has my full and undivided attention. It was his first T10 of the season, but he’s only competed in four events, beginning with a missed cut at Valero in April. Since that occurred, Kuest has finished T14, T57, and T4, thanks to his sharp irons and finesse putting. At under $7,500 on DraftKings, we’re landing a massive value rostering Kuest. He has 23-24 birdies in two of his past three events played, so don’t miss out on this massive value piece in your DraftKings lineups this week.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Denny McCarthy ($12,000)
Denny McCarthy has been closing in on his first PGA Tour win on numerous occasions this season, but he’s still searching for ways to close out events successfully. Despite his inability to finish down the stretch, McCarthy is ranked fourth in strokes gained putting while also ranking ninth in scrambling. McCarthy is sixth in total putting, 11th in one-putt percentage, and 14th in scoring average. This equates to McCarthy being treated as a blue-chip prospect on this slate, where he went T6 a year ago while brandishing recent finishes of P2, T20, and T7. Don’t overthink this one. Lock McCarthy into FanDuel lineups with extreme confidence and eat the high salary without hesitation.
Michael Kim ($9,400)
Michael Kim won the 2018 John Deere Classic at -27-under-par, which was one of the lowest scores ever recorded at any PGA Tour event, let alone at TPC Deere Run. The 29-year-old American has three T10 finishes this season as he returns to the only course he’s ever logged an outright win. Kim is a good value at under $9,500 on FanDuel, ranking 39th in hole proximity, 16th in total hole outs, and 21st in sand save percentage. While other areas of his game have been a bit lacking in 2023, Kim has gone MC, T6, T43, MC, and T38 in his last five events. It’s a calculated risk, but Kim has recently delivered a strong outing with his T6 finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge, so I’m willing to take the risk here with a former John Deere Classic champion.
Lucas Glover ($8,800)
Let’s stick with the former outright winner trend and recommend 2021 John Deere Classic winner Lucas Glover. We saw the 43-year-old South Carolina native pop with 24 birdies at Rocket Mortgage Classic last weekend, climbing into a T4 finish going -15-under-par in his final two rounds. Glover ranks ninth in driving accuracy percentage, sixth in fairway edge distance, 41st greens in regulation conversion, and third in hole proximity. Glover tends to start and finish strong, but the middle-round performances will be key to him returning value for us, even at this low salary bracket. I trust Glover to record his third T20 finish in his past four events with a strong finish at the 2023 John Deere Classic, so insert him into lineups accordingly.
