2022 John Deere Classic: Top 10 Power Rankings at TPC Deere Run
The PGA Tour moves from the East Coast to the heartland this week for the John Deere Classic.
The tournament has attracted fans from the Quad Cities and beyond since it was established in 1971. TPC Deere Run has been the venue since 1999.
The D.A. Weibring design measures 7,257 yards for a par 71. It’s a parkland course with plenty of tree line. It’s very much a second shot course as it’s very scorable from the fairway but it can be penal if you’re out of position off the tee. Plenty of treeline, forest, and a few water hazards sprinkled in can lead to the occasional big number.
The John Deere Classic traditionally draws weak fields in its usual spot before the Open Championship. It’s now two weeks before the Open, which would seemingly help the field strength. In reality, it’s even worse than usual.
No. 25 Daniel Berger was the only top-50 ranked player in the world expected to come. That was in large part to his new sponsorship from John Deere inked this year. On Monday, he withdrew, too.
The PGA Tour’s alliance with the DP World Tour leads to a weak field.
Next week’s Scottish Open is a co-sanctioned event. It already drew away plenty of PGA Tour players in years past as a tune-up for the week ahead, but it will bring in even more talent now. Guys don’t want to play three weeks in a row, and with travel mixed in. This week’s Irish Open is not PGA Tour sanctioned, but it is a big enough event to pull in some starpower.
Nonetheless, this event has one of the most loyal fanbases and will bring in crowds. The John Deere Classic is also known for giving young talent sponsor exemptions, so it’s a good way to see up-and-coming future stars get a shot.
The top three finishers from the top 10 this week who have not already qualified for the Open will earn an automatic berth into the year’s final major.
Key stats to watch this week include strokes gained approach, birdie average, proximity from 125-150 yards, and strokes gained putting (on Bentgrass, in particular).
Weather this week looks mostly dry with rain perhaps coming around Friday. It doesn’t look to get too windy except for early in the tournament and the course tends to play soft regardless of conditions.
Here are the 10 picks to click this week in Illinois:
Recent form and solid course history give Chez Reavie the nod in this week’s power rankings.
The 40-year-old veteran has teed it up nine times at the John Deere Classic with seven made cuts and three top-20s. Reavie’s best came in 2011 when he was the 36-hole leader after opening in 66-62. He followed with 68-72 to finish T-5th.
Last year, he took T-18th (64-67-69-71) and was in the top 10 through 54 holes. Reavie was second in the field in driving accuracy (87.5%) and did not make a double bogey or worse all week.
“I think it’s just a great golf course,” Reavie was transcribed by ASAP Sports talking about TPC Deere Run. “It’s a golf course that really rewards hitting fairways and greens. You have to give yourself looks. If you start missing greens out there it’s really easy to make bogey. The key is just to hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens.”
A short hitter like Reavie can get blown out to sea on some of the bombers’ paradise courses that proliferate the PGA Tour.
At the right set-up, Reavie can thrive.
We saw it last week at a sub-7,000-yard layout at the Travelers Championship. Reavie recorded his fourth top-30 in the last five starts with T-8th at TPC River Highlands.
The former Arizona State Sun Devil ranks third on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy (70.92%). He’s also 59th in strokes gained per round approach (.281).