The John Deere Classic will be played at TPC Deere Run (par 71, 7,289 yards, bentgrass greens) in Silvis, Illinois, which has been the site of this tournament since 2000. Brian Campbell (-18) is the defending champion of the John Deere Classic, after defeating Emiliano Grillo in a playoff last year. This week’s field features 144 golfers, and there will be a top 65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.
I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.
My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.
Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.
There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
- Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
- Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
- Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
- Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green
Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.
The Cliffs Notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.
And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.
The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.
PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts
DraftKings $10,000 Range
Ben Griffin ($10,500)
Of the three $10,000 players for the John Deere Classic, Griffin is the best choice and a great anchor for cash game lineups. Griffin missed the cut at TPC Deere Run last season, but he finished T5 in his debut at the course in 2024, including a 9-under 62 in the final round, which is one off his career low. Griffin ranks sixth in this field in strokes gained per round at TPC Deere Run, and he is ready to flourish at this track again. Griffin has only missed one cut in his last 10 starts, and he has finished T17 or better six times during this run. Just last week, Griffin finished T10 at the Travelers Championship. The three-time PGA TOUR winner carded a 6-under 64 in the first round, and he gained strokes on approach and with his putter at TPC River Highlands.
Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
DraftKings $9,000 Range
Jackson Koivun ($9,400)
Koivun has finally decided to begin his professional career this week after an incredible run at Auburn. Koivun just led the Tigers to their second national title in the last three years earlier this month, and he has won six times at the collegiate level in 2026. Koivun is the highest-ranked amateur in the world by a mile, and after securing that national title earlier this month, he went on to finish T23 at the U.S. Open while gaining strokes in every major category at the demanding Shinnecock Hills. Koivun has made six starts at the PGA TOUR level the last two years, finishing MC, T11, T6, T5, T4, and T23, with that T11 notably coming at TPC Deere Run a year ago. Using these performances, Koivun impressively ranks first in SG: Total when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. The 21-year-old should start his career on the PGA TOUR with a bang this week and crack the top 10 in his second attempt at TPC Deere Run.
Eric Cole ($9,100)
Cole was sitting fifth on the leaderboard heading into the final round of the Travelers last week, but a 3-over 73 on Sunday resulted in him finishing T38. Still, Cole shot under par in 3 of 4 rounds at TPC River Highlands – including a 7-under 63 in the first round – and he has finished inside the top eight in five of his last seven starts, most notably with the playoff loss to Russell Henley at the Charles Schwab Challenge last month. Cole ranks second in SG: Total when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and he is the 69th-ranked player in the world, which is 41 spots higher than his ranking to begin the season. Highlighted by a T7 two years ago, Cole has made 3 of 4 cuts at TPC Deere Run, and the elite putter should once again thrive at this birdie fest. Cole ranks eighth in SG: Putting this season, and for three years running, the winner of the John Deere Classic has finished the event in the top five in this metric.
DraftKings $8,000 Range
Tom Kim ($8,700)
Kim missed the cut in his John Deere Classic debut a year ago, but he is in far better form nowadays and could contend this week. Kim had missed two of his previous four cuts before last year’s John Deere Classic, but this time around, he has made five straight cuts and shined in his last two starts, finishing T15 at the RBC Canadian Open and third at the U.S. Open. The three-time PGA TOUR winner gained strokes across the board at Shinnecock Hills, and he posted a 3-under 67 in the second round. Kim has gained strokes on approach and with his putter in three tournaments in a row, and he ranks first in SG: Approach when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, which is a sensational sign for TPC Deere Run, where three of the last five winners have finished the event in the top 10 in SG: Approach.
Denny McCarthy ($8,200)
McCarthy has been terrific at TPC Deere Run, finishing T6, T6, T7, and T11 in his last four visits to the par 71. McCarthy has six rounds of 65 or lower at TPC Deere Run, and he is fresh off a T14 finish at the Travelers last week, marking his seventh consecutive made cut. McCarthy concluded the Signature Event with a 5-under 65, and looking to carry this momentum over to TPC Deere Run, he brings huge upside this week and is a steal at this reasonable price tag. Just last season, McCarthy was priced up to $9,900 on DraftKings for the John Deere Classic.
DraftKings $7,000 Range
Rico Hoey ($7,600)
Hoey should get back on track at TPC Deere Run after missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open in his last start. Prior to this, Hoey had finished inside the top 20 at back-to-back events in Texas, and he had made nine cuts in a row. Hoey’s resume at TPC Deere Run is excellent, finishing T26 and T11 at this track the last two years, and he should crack the top 30 again this week.
Max Homa ($7,400)
Despite missing two of his previous three cuts, Homa went to TPC Deere Run last season and finished T5, including an opening-round 8-under 63, which is one stroke shy of his career low. Homa has made 2 of 3 cuts at TPC Deere Run, and he heads back to the venue in strong form this week. Homa has made six of his last seven cuts, with three top-25 finishes during this run, including a T20 finish at the RBC Canadian Open in his last start, in which he gained strokes in every major category at TPC Toronto.
Emiliano Grillo ($7,300)
Grillo lost in the playoff to Campbell at last year’s John Deere Classic, and he also finished runner-up in his debut at TPC Deere Run in 2022. Jammed in between is a missed cut at this course, but Grillo has shot 3-under 68 or better in 7 of 10 rounds at TPC Deere Run, and he ranks fourth in this field in strokes gained per round at the par 71. Grillo now returns to TPC Deere Run riding a four-made-cut streak, most recently with a T23 at the U.S. Open, which is his best major finish since 2019. Grillo gained strokes on approach and with his putter at Shinnecock, and him contending at TPC Deere Run again isn’t out of the question.
A.J. Ewart ($7,100)
Ewart is having a strong rookie season on the PGA TOUR, and he should produce a quality finish in his John Deere Classic debut. The Canadian has made 11 of 15 cuts and finished inside the top 30 nine times. Ewart has posted three straight top-30 finishes, and he has shot under par in nine of his past 12 rounds. Ewart has gained strokes on approach and with his putter in back-to-back starts, and he ranks sixth in SG: Putting for the season.
DraftKings $6,000 Range
Lucas Glover ($6,900)
Glover has missed only two cuts in his last eight starts, and his resume at TPC Deere Run is awesome. The veteran has made 11 of 16 cuts and carded eight top-25 finishes at TPC Deere Run, including a two-shot win in 2021. Glover has finished T6, T23, and T5 at this course the last three years, and he recorded two 7-under 64s at this track a year ago. Glover ranks 12th in this field in strokes gained per round at TPC Deere Run, and he is way underpriced at $6,900, which is a huge drop from the $9,000 salary he carried for this event last season.
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Pictured: Ben Griffin
Photo credit: Imagn
