After the glorified Korn Ferry Tour event that was last week's Rocket Classic, the PGA Tour moves on to the Quad Cities for the 2025 edition of the John Deere Classic.
The John Deere has achieved essentially a cult-like following among golf fans, often referred to as "The People's Major." This event ends up being a stepping stone for many, as names like Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman, and Bryson DeChambeau all achieved their first career wins at the John Deere (and very nearly Tiger Woods, before he choked it away in 1996).
TPC Deere Run really plays well into the hands of guys who can keep the ball in the fairway. It shouldn't be difficult, as the course has above-average fairway width, but it is one of the most penal courses on Tour when it comes to playing from the rough.
Guys like Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, and Brian Harman have played well here in the past because they kept the ball in the short grass, and that's my primary focus of the analysis this week.
I knew the moment that I put my big boy Aldrich Potgieter in the honorable mentions last week that he would go on to win the Rocket Classic. Like I mentioned, he should have taken the Alex Noren spot, but an honorable mention winner still counts as a half point in my book. Shoutout to Max Greyserman almost pulling it off for me, but let's get another full winner this week.
Honorable Mentions: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Austin Eckroat, Ryan Gerard, Ryo Hisatsune, Kevin Roy
9. Sam Stevens
Sam Stevens is one of those guys who is too good to play in the mule events, so his finishes don't look all that impressive because he's going up against all of the top guys in the Signature Events. His T23 at the U.S. Open was his most impressive start since his third-place finish at the Byron Nelson, and his continued driving prowess should help him at TPC Deere Run.
The PGA Tour Latinoamerica product's success will come down to his irons cooperating this week, but he feels like he should be a strong fit.
8. Michael Thorbjornsen
It feels like Michael Thorbjornsen is finally getting settled into playing on the PGA Tour. He probably should have won last week in Detroit, finishing just one shot outside of the playoff.
The 23-year-old Wellesley High School graduate has played the John Deere very well in the past, with a T2 and a T17 in his two appearances at the tournament. Coming off a strong finish at the Rocket Classic, Thorbjornsen is riding high, and some modicum of consistency may finally be showing itself in his pro career.
7. Thriston Lawrence
Remember for a moment where it seemed like Thriston Lawrence might win the U.S. Open at Oakmont? I was wary of Lawrence at first, but being able to follow up his T12 at Oakmont with a T8 at the Rocket Classic showed that Lawrence's game is here to stay, at least for a tiny bit longer.
Ending an event with all four strokes gained categories in the positive shows that the performance wasn't a fluke, and Lawrence has now done that in his last couple of starts. This week could be where his hot streak comes to an end, but I'm willing to ride the Thriston train for a little while longer.
6. J.T. Poston
The Postman hasn't been able to follow up his T5 at the PGA Championship with a strong performance yet, but returning to a tournament he's won before should help.
Poston is often a player who gets left behind in terms of distance, but TPC Deere Run's focus on accuracy off the tee allows guys like him to contend year in and year out. The 2022 winner should be able to find his mojo again in the Quad Cities.
5. Kevin Yu
When I was at the Travelers Championship, all I could think of during Sunday's final round as I did my preliminary research was how Kevin Yu was going to be a perfect fit for Detroit Golf Club.
Sadly, he pulled out of the tournament on Monday, and I had to save my thoughts for this week. Yu's biggest issue had been his putting, but he has now finished four of his last five starts with positive putting numbers. Mixing that with being sixth on Tour in strokes gained off the tee this season should set Yu up for a successful weekend.
4. Jason Day
I genuinely thought Jason Day might steal the Travelers a couple of weeks ago when everyone in the final group seemed to be scuffling, and the door was open for someone to steal the tournament.
He's arguably the biggest name in the John Deere this week, but Day's place on this list is justified by his play this season.
Day has six top-25 finishes in 12 events this year, including four top-10s. The 2015 PGA champion hasn't had a hole in his game over his last couple of starts, and his floor is higher than someone like Thriston Lawrence, who's had a very similar statistical profile to Day over the last couple of events.
3. Matt McCarty
I'm willing to throw out a missed cut at the U.S. Open for McCarty and focus on his T4 in Canada and his T19 last week in Detroit.
He is one of the most accurate drivers on Tour right now, and his putting has been his strongest skill this season by far. My faith in McCarty this week is truly an exercise in how far a strong course fit can get a player in a week, but his recent form outside of Oakmont has been strong enough to warrant this amount of faith.
2. Denny McCarthy
If there was a player whose game was built for TPC Deere Run, it's Denny McCarthy, as his last three appearances at the John Deere have ended in finishes of T6, T6, and T7.
He's a little bit in the Sam Stevens zone in terms of quality of player, but definitely the premium-brand version of that type of player. He hasn't missed a cut yet this year, and I don't think there's any reason to expect that this week. I think McCarthy's threatening for his first career win will come to an end this week.
1. Ben Griffin
Another week, another appearance by Ben Griffin in these rankings.
What do you want from me? The guy is red hot, with his worst finish in his last six starts being a T14 at the Travelers. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop with this Griffin run, but it just keeps going with seemingly no end in sight.
Is it boring to go with the odds leader as the #1 in my rankings? Sure, but I'm going to keep rolling with quite possibly my favorite golfer on Tour right now.