With the signature events all wrapped up for the 2026 PGA Tour season, attention turns to the bubble as only six weeks separate players from the first playoff event. The 2026 John Deere Classic will provide those players an opportunity to make their imprint on this season as a full field of characters will all hope to produce fireworks this Fourth of July weekend up in Silvis, Illinois.Returning to TPC Deere Run, the field is headlined by none other than Ben Griffin. Three times a winner in 2025, Griffin has yet to recapture that magic — a common theme among those in the field — this season but his play is beginning to turn the corner with quality outings his last handful of months.Chris Gotterup is the man with the most wins in the field as the champion of the Sony Open and the WM Phoenix Open earlier this year. The powerful right hander has yet to contend since, but there is no time like the present as he looks to tie Matt Fitzpatrick for most wins on the PGA Tour this season.That brings us down to Jordan Spieth who comes in fresh off a performance that saw him finish nearly in dead last at the Travelers Championship. Flirting with different putters in the lead up to the final signature event, Spieth stuck with ol’ reliable and was stuck in the mud all week.Announcing his arrival on the PGA Tour with an epic win in 2013 (and another two years later in 2015) at the John Deere Classic, Spieth will hope the magic of TPC Deere Run can shine down on him as he tees it up for just the second time since that 2015 victory.
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Patrick McDonald
Like Spieth in 2013, Jackson Koivun hopes to make some noise as the decorated Auburn product debuts as a professional. With an amateur résumé as long as a CVS receipt, Koivun arrives having just shared low amateur honors at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Keith Mitchell, Keegan Bradley, J.T. Poston, Tom Kim, Rickie Fowler and Max Homa are among the other notables to tee it up this week as the postseason fast approaches and the bubble continues to weigh heavier on the minds of those on it.
2026 John Deere Classic schedule
Dates: July 2-5
Location: TPC Deere Run — Silvis, Illinois
Par: 71 | Yardage: 7,327 | Architect: D.A. Weibring & Chris Gray
Purse: $8,800,000
2026 John Deere Classic field, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Ben Griffin (13-1): It has been the same type of season for Griffin following his breakout of 2025, but the gears are beginning to turn. Since the Zurich Classic, the 30-year-old has been much more consistent throughout the bag as swing changes have materialized and his iron play has returned to its historical levels. He comes in with a podium result at the Charles Schwab, top-20 finish at the U.S. Open and a quiet top 10 at the Travelers Championship under his belt.
- Chris Gotterup (14-1): Inevitable that he was going to cool after winning two of his first three tournaments of 2026. Gotterup continued to play some sensational golf in the spring, but as the calendar has flipped to summer his game has taken another step back. Since his T10 at the PGA Championship, he has failed to clock a top-25 finish in his last three tournaments largely due to some short-game inefficiencies. The bones of the operation are still sound, and he is a capable winner so don’t be surprised if that mini run ends this week.
- Keith Mitchell (18-1): The putter is starting to form a hair of consistency, which, when coupled with his driving and iron play, makes him a dangerous prospect. Following a week at Shinnecock Hills where he fired rounds of 70-70-70-70, Mitchell snuck inside the top 25 at the Travelers Championship. He has played the John Deere Classic more than a handful of times with varying results, but mainly because he has never putted these greens well. If that changes, his fortunes will too.
- Keegan Bradley (27-1)
- Jackson Koivun (27-1): Let’s see what the kid has got. The 21-year-old makes his professional debut as he ranks a whopping No. 41 in the Data Golf Rankings ahead of players such as Spieth, Fowler, Poston, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and many more. To give you a glimpse of his collegiate dominance, in 2024, Koivun became the first player to win the Haskins, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Phil Mickelson award. Last year on the PGA Tour as an amateur, he racked up finishes of T11, T6, T5 and T4. He is expected to contend for titles immediately.
- J.T. Poston (27-1)
- Eric Cole (28-1)
- Jordan Spieth (28-1): From the new kid on the block to the man who used to be dubbed “the golden child,” Spieth needs to find the fountain of youth after three straight disappointing outings. Inconsistencies continue to wreak havoc on his game as he can’t piece together four rounds with all four areas of his game firing on all cylinders. For the second straight season, he is on the top-50 bubble late in the year as he checks in at No. 52 in the season-long race.
- Pierceson Coody (29-1)
- Jacob Bridgeman (30-1)
2026 John Deere Classic picks
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Keegan Bradley
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| Winner (27-1): After months and months, Bradley appears to have emerged from his Ryder Cup hangover. The U.S. captain ranks 10th in strokes gained approach, 14th in strokes gained around the green and third in strokes gained tee to green in this field over the last three months. He has a handful of top 20s to his credit during this time, but it is now the moment to press for more. Bradley has not teed it up at TPC Deere Run since 2016, showing the desperation he finds himself in as No. 69 in the FedEx Cup standings. | |
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Max Homa
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| Contender (52-1): Sentiment on Homa and his play has been down for a few years, but there have been pockets of hope during that window, and this may be one of them. He comes in having finished T22 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, T20 at the Canadian Open and falling just short of qualifying for the U.S. Open. The ball striking is beginning to creep back in and this is the perfect time to pounce as he had a real chance to win this tournament just a summer ago. | |
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Denny McCarthy
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| Sleeper (60-1): Had things rolling in the final round of the Travelers Championship before settling for a T14 effort. It has not been the season McCarthy has imagined, but this is a happy hunting ground for the putting maestro as he has finishes of T11, T7, T6, T6 in his last four appearances. His lack of results this year is largely due to inconsistencies with the putter, but he has put a new one in the bag and is looking like is old self. | |
Who will win the 2026 John Deere Classic, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 17 golf majors heading into the weekend, including the past five Masters, and find out.
