To not only my home state, but also the course I grew up right next to, we head over to TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois for the 2026 John Deere Classic. As this is a bit of a home event for me, I am biased in that this is one of my favorites to watch every single season. My grandfather worked for John Deere, and upon retirement he worked as part of the ground team at TPC Deere Run, so this event is near and dear to my heart. That makes it that much more fun to break this one down and find some winners.

Don't forget, when looking to build your lineups, make sure to take advantage of our PGA DFS Projections, PGA DFS Ownership, and PGA DFS Lineup Optimizer to get every advantage you can. 

Let’s dive in!

 

John Deere Classic 2026: Daily Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections

The John Deere Classic has been a mainstay on tour since 1971. Originally known as the Quad Cities Open, this event was always a special one for me. Even as a smaller event, we've seen some interesting outcomes here, such as the inaugural event being won by a future PGA Tour commissioner in Deane Beman (who defended their championship the next year), or a sponsors exemption going to teenager Michelle Wie for the first time. Always a bit of a birdie-fest, let's take a look at the venue.

 

TPC Deere Run: Course Breakdown This Week

TPC Deere Run is one of the courses on tour that I have personal experiences with, as my grandfather worked here after his retirement from John Deere. Located in Silvis, IL this course has a 25 year history on the PGA Tour. Playing at Par of 71 and just over 7,300 yards, this event’s course record was set just 2 years ago by Davis Thompson at 256 strokes (or 28 under par).

They make up of this course is relatively straight forward. The par 3s all play between 158 and 226 yards, the par 4s all between 360 and 500 yards, and the par 5s all 560-596. This gives us clear yardage buckets for all pars on course. Known for it’s wide fairways and receptive greens, both of which are bentgrass, this event is a ball-strikers paradise as the tree-lined fairways and long rough require some finesse and strategy that limit the ability to bomb-and-gouge this course. The rough is one of the key defenses of the venue, and this event regularly grades out as one of the toughest events to gain strokes out of the rough.

Given all of this information, our key stats are clear. Birdies or Better Gained is a must this week, as this is an absolute birdie-fest. With this in mind, I'm also looking at Par 5 Scoring from 550-600 yards, as well as Par 4 Strokes Gained. Past that, we begin with Good Drives Gained. Hitting the fairways and playing positional golf is key here, and this all encompassing stat is a great representation of that. From there, we're focusing on Strokes Gained: Approach, Ball-Striking, and Short Game. This event often turns into a putting contest as well, so we're adding Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass) as well as 3 Putt Avoidance. Lastly, when looking at the approach numbers, there is such a large contingent that fall from 100-150 yards, that his is our key approach scoring bucket this week.

Some top players in key stats this week:

Birdies or Better Gained: Blades Brown, Eric Cole, Keith Mitchell, Jacob Bridgeman, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Pierceson Coody, Tony Finau, Austin Eckroat, Luke List, Chris Gotterup

SG: Approach: Daniel Berger, Austin Smotherman, Ben Kohles, Tom Kim, Johnny Keefer, Zac Blair, Jackson Suber, Max McGreevy, Zecheng Dou, Chris Gotterup

Good Drives Gained: Ben Kohles, Lucas Glover, Luke List, Joel Dahmen, Ryo Hisatsune, Zac Blair, Tyler Duncan, Austin Smotherman, Johnny Keefer, Tom Kim

 

John Deere Classic 2026 Field: Golf DFS

Unsurprising given this history of this event, this will likely be the weakest field we cover in 2026. Chris Gotterup leads the way as the 14th ranked player in the world, and is joined by Ben Griffin as the only other top 25 player in attendance. We do see a large number of former winners in attendance this week, as 2025 Champion Brian Campbell is joined by Davis Thompson, J.T. Poston, Lucas Glover, Dylan Frittelli, Michale Kim, Jordan Spieth, and Zach Johnson will be looking to take home another title as well. 

 

This Week’s PGA DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator

To enhance your daily fantasy golf selections and secure optimal PGA DFS values, it's advisable to utilize our PGA DFS optimizer and lineup generator. This optimizer serves as a valuable resource for daily fantasy golf enthusiasts aiming to develop effective lineups!

It provides projections, updates on player injuries, and a range of analytical insights to facilitate the lineup-building process. Essentially, it functions as a strategic advantage for participants in daily fantasy golf and makes their own PGA DFS picks!

PGA Best Bets & Predictions: 2026 John Deere Classic (17-28 Overall, +.75 Units)

  • Jackson Koivun: Top 20 (+165)
  • Denny McCarthy: Top 20 (+280) 
  • John Deere Classic One and Done Picks: 
    • Denny McCarthy
    • Jackson Koivun
 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: Top Tier

Ben Griffin ($10,500 DraftKings/$12,000 FanDuel)

After a career year in 2025, we've watch Griffin fall back down to earth a bit in 2026. After a few good starts to the year, he struggled from February to May, but he's really turned a corner of late. He's recorded top 20 finishes in 6 of his last 8 starts, including 4 top 10's. There's certainly holes in the profile, but he's 2nd in the field in Strokes Gained: Short Game and Strokes Gained: Total on our comp courses for the week.

Chris Gotterup ($10,700 DraftKings/$11,900 FanDuel)

Gotterup has had a very interesting season. He recorded 2 wins in his first 3 starts of the year, but has just two top 10 finishes since. That said, this is a venue that I think can play in his favor. He's recorded a top 5 and top 25 in 2 of his 3 starts here, and is a top 10 ball-striker in the field who has played very well on our comp courses. There's holes in the profile (as there is for everyone in this field), but him or Griffin make great options at the top of the board.

Jackson Koivun ($9,400 DraftKings/$11,200 FanDuel)

Koivun is making his first start as a member of the PGA Tour, and if he can continue what he's done so far, there's no reason not to be interested. He won 6 times in college this season, recorded a top 25 finish at the U.S. Open in his last event as an amatuer, and recorded 4 finishes of T11 or better in his last 4 starts on tour. One of those, the T11, was here last season. Koivun has an incomplete profile, otherwise he may have ended up the leader in my model this week, as opposed to 2nd. 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: MID-TIER

Doug Ghim ($8,600 DraftKings/$10,300 FanDuel)

Ghim has such a good profile for this venue. Over his last 30 rounds, he's top 15 in scoring, as well as good drive percentage, ball-striking, approach from 100-150, and Strokes Gained Total both here and at the comparable courses. That's a profile I can get behind, regardless of my thoughts on his game as a whole.

Tom Kim ($8,700 DraftKings/$10,700 FanDuel)

Kim is the boom-bust call in this value tier. That's right in line with most of his career. Kim was hot to start his career, recording multiple wins between 22 and 23, but has struggled a lot since. That said, he's finished T15 or better in his last two starts, including a solo 3rd at the U.S. Open, and remains a premier ball-striker (1st in approach in the field, 8th in ball-striking) and he's a player that simply needs the rest of his game to cooperate for more than 9 holes at a time. The driver has been good of late, he really just needs the putter to work.

Eric Cole ($9,100 DraftKings/$11,000 FanDuel)

Cole's been up and down for a long time, but he's been very solid over the last 2-3 months. He's recorded 4 top 10 finishes, including a runner up at the Charles Schwab. He remains much of the same player he's always been. He's a strong iron player and remains great around the green, he simply needs to stay competitive off the tee. He tends to struggle with the driver, but he remains in the top half of this field in Good Drives Gained, so why not this week?

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: VALUE TIER

Jackson Suber ($7,400 DraftKings/$9,200 FanDuel)

Suber has a near perfect profile. He's 6th in scoring, 8th in Good Drives, 4th on Approach, 5th in ball-striking, and 6th in proximity over his last 30 rounds. The flat-stick needs to cooperate, and by that I mean he just needs to avoid 3 putts. We've seen him top 5 multiple times this season, and this is a venue where he can get his 3rd.

Blades Brown ($7,600 DraftKings/$9,700 FanDuel)

Blades might have the most disrespectful pricing in the field. He leads my model this week, and the 19 year old has no major holes in his profile for this venue. Even with his “worst” metrics, he ranks well above field average, and he's a clear anchor for me in lineups this week as a result. I'm going to be near 60 percent ownership this week with Brown.

Zach Bauchou ($7,300 DraftKings/$8,800 FanDuel)

Bauchou has been sneaky good in 2026. He's recorded 7 top 25 finishes, including 4 of his last 5 starts. His iron play has been strong for most of the season, and he's been mostly solid around the greens. Like Eric Cole, he needs to remain competitive off the tee. If he can keep it in play, he can compete. 

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