2022 John Deere Classic: Top 10 Power Rankings at TPC Deere Run

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is making his John Deere Classic debut. He’s looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman, Dylan Frittelli, who became the tournament’s first South African winner in 2019.

Bezuidenhout seeks his first PGA Tour win.

He’d be the first to admit he’d like to have more chances by now, but he’s been very consistent since coming over from the DP World Tour, where he was thrice a winner, and advancing through the Korn Ferry Tour finals last fall.

The 28-year-old has seven top-25 finishes and just four missed cuts in the 2021-22 PGA Tour season. He made 10 cuts in a row in 2021 playing as a non-member.

Bezuidenhout ranks 50th on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained per round (.653). He’s in the positive in all SG categories, including putting (47th, .266).

An accurate driver like him can also benefit this week. He’s 51st in driving accuracy (63.96%) and won’t be penalized too much for being at the bottom of the circuit in distance.

Sticking to the South African stereotype, he’s a brilliant bunker player. Bezuidenhout is tops in sand saves (69.05%).

He doesn’t pile up birdies at a high enough rate to lead me to believe he’ll win during a week where lots of them are needed. I also think he’ll avoid some of the trouble lurking for wayward drives at TPC Deere Run and will scramble effectively when needed.

Bezuidenhout missed the cut last week at the Travelers Championship, but he can lean on recent high finishes at the AT&T Byron Nelson (T-12th) and Charles Schwab Challenge (T-12th) to get back on track.