3 bold predictions this weekend at John Deere Classic

We’ve officially made it to the weekend at the John Deere Classic and it’s shaping up to be another wild finish on the PGA Tour.

Nine players enter the weekend within two shots of the lead, and with plenty of low scores to be had at TPC Deere Run, anything is possible.

As the weekend rounds get underway, let’s dive into some bold predictions and see if we can strike gold this weekend.

1. The winner won’t reach 20-under par

The winner of the John Deere Classic has also reached at least 20-under par seven of the last nine times. So failing to reach this number is almost unheard of.

There have been countless low scores throughout the first several rounds including a 59 (12-under) from Hayden Springer. But what we haven’t seen yet is a player go extremely low in both rounds, so I don’t expect the same players to keep going low throughout the weekend.

I also think the course conditions will become more difficult this weekend. So couple that with a weaker field than we normally see and that’s why I think the winner shockingly won’t reach 20-under on Sunday.

2. Jordan Spieth finishes top 10 at the John Deere Classic

Surely Jordan Spieth finishing top 10 isn’t a bold prediction, right? Well, considering the season he’s had and the amount of ground he has to make up I think it is.

We’re used to seeing Spieth contend week after week, but that hasn’t been the case this season. He’s failed to make the weekend six out of 18 events and only has three top 10s to his name as well. Spieth’s last top 10 was at the beginning of April, and he hasn’t finished better than 29th since.

Spieth also has a big hole to climb out of as he’s sitting at 6-under par and eight shots off the pace.

All of these reasons make it sound like he won’t contend, but I still think he will.

Spieth has a lot of experience coming from behind at the John Deere as he was way off the pace before winning in 2013 and 2015. I don’t think he’ll end up winning this weekend, but I do think Spieth will surprise a lot of people and finish inside the top 10. Just in time for the Open Championship.

3. Amateur Luke Clanton wins

And for the boldest prediction of them all, I’m going with amateur Luke Clanton to win the John Deere Classic this weekend.

Clanton has been red hot to start the tournament and sits two shots back at 12-under par. He has moved into a tie for fourth as we enter the weekend not because he went extremely low in one round, but just because he’s played all-around solid golf. The sophomore from Florida State posted rounds of 63 and 67 on Thursday and Friday and will tee off late on Sunday.

The reason this prediction is so bold is because amateurs just don’t win on the PGA Tour. Sure we saw amateur Nick Dunlap win on tour in January at The American Express, but before that, it hadn’t been done since Phil Mickelson in 1991.

What a wild season this would become if we had two amateurs win on the PGA Tour. But the young guys are better than ever before, so in my mind, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see it happen again.