2023 John Deere Classic: Top 10 Power Rankings at TPC Deere Run

Emiliano Grillo didn’t win his John Deere Classic, but he did the next best thing by taking runner-up honors.

The Argentinian fired 68-64-65-69 to finish T-2nd and three shots off J.T. Poston’s pace. Grillo was third in the field in strokes gained off-the-tee and top 30 in all SG categories.

That high finish propelled him to another T-2nd at the 3M Open a few weeks later. Grillo added a couple more top-fives when the new season began in the fall and finally broke through for his second career PGA Tour victory, and first since 2015, this spring at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

A poor tee shot on the last hole of regulation nearly cost him what appeared to be a sure victory, but Grillo recovered smoothly to beat Adam Schenk in a playoff.

Grillo also beat a strong field in Fort Worth that featured Scottie Scheffler, defending champion Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, and Max Homa all in the top 10.

The 30-year-old has made two of three cuts since then, including T-15th in his last start a couple weeks ago at the Travelers Championship.

Grillo ranks in or near the top 50 on the PGA Tour in the strokes gained ball striking statistics, including 41st on approach (.363).

He’s 10th in proximity from 150-175 yards (25’4”), which will be a common second-shot distance this week in the Quad Cities.

Grillo can be a bit boom or bust. However, the combination of good course history and good recent form leads me to believe he can replicate the low scores he fired here in 2022.