What could possibly be more American than a golf tournament played in the Midwest on 4th of July weekend sponsored by a tractor company? Yes, it is the time of the year for everyone's favorite PGA Tour non-Signature Event, the John Deere Classic. We get a brief rest in the premier event before heading across the Atlantic, and you can tell from this week's field that a lot of the stars are gassed and need a break.
But just because it's not a star-studded field doesn't mean that it can't be a great event (take notes, Rolapp). I mean, who could forget last year's playoff between...Brian Campbell and Emiliano Grillo? Oh, this is definitely a second-tier event come 2028.
Jokes aside, the Deere almost always ends up having a fun Sunday to watch at the very least, and if that's not your speed, then catch Brazil maybe take on Erling Haaland in the Round of 16 in the World Cup.
Honestly, we got unlucky with Travelers this past week. We had guys all over the top five, and the one player we didn't have named, that, of course, being Viktor Hovland, ended up winning the Monday playoff over Scottie Scheffler. It is what it is, I suppose, but hopefully we can find some better luck this week.
Honorable Mentions: Jacob Bridgeman, Pierceson Coody, Rickie Fowler, Max Greyserman, Sudarshan Yellamaraju
9. Mac Meissner
After his T3 at the Charles Schwab, I thought that we were on track for a major Mac Meissner breakout campaign. If anything, we've seen a regression to the mean his last few starts. Regardless, I think he's set up well for a strong bounce back this week at the John Deere.
He's played decently here in the past, posting a T20 finish in 2024. The biggest thing for Meissner will be making sure his driver finds the fairway, but if he's able to do that, then he should be able to threaten everyone with a good time this weekend.
8. Keegan Bradley
A T14 last weekend at Travelers is the first sign of life that we have seen from Keegan Bradley in a little while, as he tries to make a late-season push to be considered a player on the Presidents Cup team. Truly, if Keegan picks up a win, then playing assistant captain will be considered on that team.
Regardless, Bradley is still playing decently this season as he tries to get Bethpage out of his mind. He hasn't reached quite the same heights as he did last season, but his baseline should be high enough to threaten for a win at a course he hasn't played since 2016.
7. Keith Mitchell
Keith Mitchell followed up a surprising T4 at the U.S. Open with a solid T22 at the rain-soaked Travelers. Cashmere Keith is quietly in the middle of a strong run of play going back to his solo fifth at the Byron Nelson last month.
Mitchell's irons turning back into a net positive in his bag have been a great help for him, as he has put up positive strokes gained on approach in each of his last five starts. While the meme of Keith Mitchell being the safest first-round leader bet in golf may be dead, he has played himself back into relevance on Tour.
6. Jackson Suber
While he hasn't parlayed his solo fourth in Canada into any major success in his last couple of starts, Jackson Suber has taken advantage of his opportunities to get into the signature events, so clearly he's playing pretty solid golf right now. Plus, his back nine 40 on Sunday really put a damper on an overall impressive week for the 26-year-old.
Considering his success at events like Canada and the Byron Nelson, Suber is clearly much more comfortable at these events that aren't quite at the signature event level right now, and I think that'll play into his hands and lead to a successful week in the Quad Cities.
5. Jordan Spieth
The American Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth has seemed so close to finding it this season, only to falter and let the wheels come off the wagon time and again. In his last three starts, his best finish is a T56 at the U.S. Open. This begs the question, why on earth am I picking him this week?
Well, he is still a two-time winner at TPC Deere Run, and only has one career finish here outside of the top 30. If there's any place on Tour that can be a get-right week for Spieth, it is TPC Deere Run.
4. Tom Kim
It's been nice to see Tom Kim remember how to play good golf outside of the SoFi Center his last couple of starts. I genuinely thought for a moment that I was going to have to get on here last week and talk about major champion Tom Kim after his solo third at Shinnecock.
After being completely lost in the wilderness all of 2025, Kim has started to return to his previously strong form as of late, with his third at the U.S. Open and a T15 in Canada in his last couple of starts. If he manages to keep turning the driver back around, then Kim should find himself firmly in the mix again this weekend.
3. Eric Cole
While he's come back down to earth a bit, let's not forget that very recently, Eric Cole had a run of four top-10 finishes in a five-start span. He had been riding a hot putter that has since cooled off, but much like how Brian Campbell popped back up after some poor play leading in to last year's event where he won, I think Cole can come back from his poor recent stretch to find his maiden victory. You don't have to hit the ball far, just find the short grass and make putts, both of which Cole can do when he's clicking.
2. Chris Gotterup
While he's come back down to Earth from his red-hot start, it's hard to ignore Chris Gotterup's mix of distance off the tee and strong iron play. Gotterup has played the John Deere Classic three times before, finishing in the top 25 twice.
While TPC Deere Run tends to favor more accuracy-focused players, Gotterup has figured out how to use his length to his advantage around the course. Anyone who can overcome a clear strategic disadvantage at a course to have success is a good pick in my book, so I'm backing the 26-year-old this week.
1. Ben Griffin
Ben Griffin had the quietest top-10 finish at Travelers last weekend. Honestly, I didn't even remember he was in the field before I saw his name on the final leaderboard Monday morning after the playoff. Griffin's bounce back from his early season woes has been admirable to watch the last few months, and it feels like we are on the doorstep of another Ben Griffin victory.
He finished T5 here in 2024, and his game is in a better spot now than it was back then. My number one player from last year's rankings finds himself in the same spot this year, for better or for worse.
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