This holiday weekend is a special one for the PGA Tour’s next event as the John Deere Classic celebrates its 25th anniversary. This course is unique as a par-71 course, which makes it one of the easier 18-hole events on the schedule.
With The Open Championship only a week away, many of golf’s top players will skip the PGA’s Fourth of July event. Ben Griffin will highlight the field as the world’s No. 17-ranked player will go for his second win of the year.
The purse for the John Deere Classic is $8.4 million. Don’t let the players become the only ones who cash in on this weekend’s PGA event. Below, you’ll find three player prop bets for this weekend’s tournament that are sure to make bettors some cold, hard cash.
It’s been a decade since the John Deere Classic had a repeat winner, which is why the No. 62-ranked Davis Thompson has such long odds to repeat this weekend. The 26-year-old Georgia hasn’t set the world on fire since winning last year’s tournament, either. He has only two top-15 finishes thus far.
Despite missing the cut six times this season, there’s no reason to believe last year’s winner won’t be playing on Sunday. Bettors should have confidence that Thompson will make the cut, especially after doing so in back-to-back tournaments heading into this year’s John Deere Classic.
Griffin has been among the PGA Tour’s most consistent participants since May. The 29-year-old has made the cut in seven straight events, earning four top-10 finishes in a row after missing the cut at PTC Craig Ranch. He’s also the favorite to win this weekend’s tournament, a wager several bettors may consider.
Let’s discuss a stronger wager. What has helped Griffin be so dominant is his early-round scores. He’s posted a first-round score of 67 or better in five of the past seven tournaments. Last weekend, he shot below 70 in all four rounds, helping him record a top-15 finish at the Rocket Classic.
During the 2024 John Deere Classic, he posted a 68 to open the tournament. Griffin followed that up with three straight rounds below that mark. With as hot as he’s playing right now, bettors should jump on this player prop bet.
Bettors would have to go back to 2015 to find a player who won multiple John Deere Classics. That year, Jordan Spieth earned the victory, something he’d previously accomplished in 2013. Could J.T. Poston become the second player in the previous decade to record two wins at TPC Deere Run?
We’re not predicting that feat. Despite finishing tied for 30th in 2024, the 32-year-old Poston has had other strong showings at this tournament. He was tied for sixth in 2023, and he won the event in 2022. Expect him to bounce back from recent mid-level showings to finish among the top 10 players in this year’s John Deere Classic field.