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SILVIS, ILLINOIS – JULY 05: Chris Gotterup of the United States poses with the winner’s trophy after winning the John Deere Classic 2026 at TPC Deere Run on July 05, 2026 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Andy Lyons\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Where the John Deere Classic falls on the PGA Tour schedule let fans know the field would not be as strong as many would have liked. The U.S. Open was two weeks ago, and the biggest name remained in the field last eek for the final signature event, the Travelers Championship. That meant most of those premiere players were taking this week off before going overseas to prepare for the Open Championship in two weeks.<\/p>\n
But for a select group of golfers, an event like the John Deere can help propel their Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points and get them into bigger fields in the foreseeable future. The question just became who would be able to take advantage of the field, and the course, at TPC Deere Run.<\/p>\n
Despite Lucas Glover leading almost the entire tournament, it was Chris Gotterup who stormed up the leaderboard on Sunday and made enough shots to claim victory. But the win didn\u2019t come without drama.<\/p>\n
With Gotterup in the clubhouse as the leader, Ben Kohles needed just a par to send the John Deere Classic to a playoff. However, an errant approach shot into the lake denied the playoff berth, and gave Gotterup his 5th career victory, and his third of this season.<\/p>\n
Gotterup now has wins at the Sony Open, Phoenix Waste Management Open, and now the John Deere Classic. This all in preparation for the Scottish Open next week, a tournament he won in 2025.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look at who was projected to be contending, based on pre-tournament odds.<\/p>\n
2026 John Deere Classic OddsBen Griffin (+1325)Chris Gotterup (+1400)Keith Mitchell (+1800)Keegan Bradley (+2000)Jackson Koivun (+2700)<\/p>\n
When it came to picks for this event, I like to start with my favorite and long shot picks for the tournament. The favorite pick is the winner pick I like the most. For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. It is a long shot pick for a reason, and finding those can be like finding a needle in a haystack. <\/p>\n
Here are my favorite and long shot picks<\/a> for the 2026 John Deere Classic<\/a>:<\/p>\n Favorite: J.T. Poston (+2700) – MISS<\/p>\n Poston had played well as of late, and the thought of him continuing that trend wasn\u2019t out of the realm of possibility. However, Poston struggled this week and finished with a T51 finish. While he did make the cut, he wasn\u2019t close to the outright winner.<\/p>\n Long Shot: Tom Kim (+3500) – MISS<\/p>\n The last time we saw Tom Kim on the golf course, before the John Deere, was at the U.S. Open where he had an impressive finish at Shinnecock Hills. The good vibes didn\u2019t carry over for Kim who finished T46, and my streak of never hitting a long shot play continues.<\/p>\n Top 5 Bets For The John Deere Classic 2026Ben Griffin (+280) – MISS<\/p>\n I keep waiting for the Ben Griffin who won three times on tour in 2025 to return, and you have to wonder if it will ever return? Griffin finished the John Deere with a T21 finish. Just not good enough when you have him as a Top 5 pick.<\/p>\n Chris Gotterup (+300) – HIT<\/p>\n Our lone bright spot this week was taking Gotterup, who won the tournament, with a Top 5 pick. It cashed out at +300, but could have fetched us +1400 if we took him to win the tournament. Nonetheless, we\u2019ll take every win we can get.<\/p>\n Top 10 Picks For The John Deere Classic 2026Keith Mitchell (+194) – MISS<\/p>\n Mitchell, like the aforementioned Kim, was playing well heading into the John Deere Classic, but he failed to meet the criteria for out Top 10 play. Mitchell\u2019s T51 finish was a poor placement pick.<\/p>\n Keegan Bradley (+250) – MISS<\/p>\n