John Deere Classic: PGA Tour Golf Picks, Predictions, and Tee Times

Amid a busy PGA Tour schedule that includes the Open Championship two weeks from now, this weekend’s field features just nine players currently ranked among the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings, with No. 34 Denny McCarthy leading the way as a +1400 favourite. And with each of the past six editions of this event featuring a first-time winner, the chances of a relative unknown emerging from the pack emerging victorious are good. 

Here’s a look at some of the best bets to consider ahead of Thursday’s opening tee off at the 2023 John Deere Classic.

Nick Taylor Miss the Cut

Nick Taylor captured the imagination of Canadian golf fans from coast to coast with his emotional victory at the Canadian Open last month. The win marked the 35-year-old’s third finish among the top two this season. However, Taylor has otherwise produced disappointing results, missing the cut in three of his past four outings including the US Open and PGA Championship.

Taylor has also struggled historically at this event, failing to make the cut in two of his past four appearances including last year. With the afterglow of his recent triumph all but dissipated, it is time to get back to fading the Winnipeg native, with his +154 odds to miss the cut once again offering excellent value.

Cameron Young

At No. 19, Cameron Young tees off this weekend as the highest ranked golfer in the field. That is reflected on the John Deere Classic odds, where he trails only Denny McCarthy as a +1500 bet. But given his recent track record, he may struggle to maintain a spot in the top 20 without a breakthrough soon after cracking the top 50 just once in seven PGA Tour appearances since his seventh-place performance at the Masters.

In addition to fading him on the tournament odds, Young should be approached with caution on both the group and matchup odds. Indeed, he offers little value as +125 chalk in first round three ball against Nick Hardy and Ludvig Alberg, and has done little to justify his -100 odds in a tournament matchup with McCarthy, who should not be overlooked as a -120 bet.

Expect Aberg to Bounce Back

Speaking of Ludvig Aberg, the talented rookie turned heads while shooting -12 over the first two rounds last weekend at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The hard-hitting rookie eventually fell off the pace in the third round, but could surprise this weekend playing in a weak field.

In addition to being a solid +149 bet to outpace Young and Hardy in the first round, Aberg’s recent strong starts including an impressive opening round 65 last weekend should garner him some attention as a high-value +3300 dark horse to emerge as Round One leader.

Picks: Nick Taylor miss cut (+154); Denny McCarthy matchup vs Cameron Young (-120); Ludvig Aberg Round One leader (+3300)

2023 John Deere Classic Round 1 tee times (All times ET)

Tee No. 1

7:45 a.m. Troy Merritt, Jonas Blixt, Henrik Norlander

7:56 a.m. – Cody Gribble, Brian Stuard, Kevin Yu

8:07 a.m. – Stephan Jaeger, Carson Young, Harrison Endycott

8:18 a.m. – Erik van Rooyen, Garrick Higgo, Jim Herman

8:29 a.m. – Adam Svensson, Trey Mullinax, Brendon Todd

8:40 a.m. – Ryan Brehm, Brian Gay, Bradnt Snedeker

8:51 a.m. – Chez Reavie, Andrew Landry, Lanto Griffin

9:02 a.m. – Jimmy Walker, Nick Watney, Chad Collins

9:13 a.m. – Nate Lashley, Peter Malnati, Hank Lebioda

9:24 a.m. – Jason Dufner, Ryan Moore, Derek Ernst

9:35 a.m. – Ricky Barnes, Andrew Novak, Zecheng Dou

9:46 a.m. – Michael Gligic, Kevin Roy, Ross Streelman

9:57 a.m. – Scott Harrington, Matti Schmid, Jay Giannetto

1:10 p.m. – Kelly Kraft, Harry Higgs, Alex Smalley

1:21 p.m. – Adam Long, Ben An, Davis Thompson

1:32 p.m. – Christiaan Bezuidenhout, S.H. Kim, Tyson Alexander

1:43 p.m. – J.T. Poston, Lucas Glover, Michael Kim

1:54 p.m. – Nick Taylor, Emiliano Grillo, Sepp Straka

2:05 p.m. – Nick Hardy, Cameron Young, Ludvig Aberg

2:16 p.m. – Dylan Frittelli, Eric Cole, Taylor Montgomery

2:27 p.m. – Ben Martin, Kevin Streelman, Sam Stevens

2:38 p.m. – Aaron Baddeley, Jonathan Byrd, Austin Smotherman

2:49 p.m. – David Lingmerth, Robby Shelton, Will Gordon

3:00 p.m. – Kevin Tway, Ryan Armour, Kyle Stanley

3:11 p.m. – Trevor Cone, Ryan Gerard, Michael Thorbjornsen

3:22 p.m. – Trevor Werbylo, Peter Kuest, Tommy Kuhl

Tee No. 10

7:45 a.m. – Patrick Rodgers, Beau Hossler, Greyson Sigg

7:56 a.m. – Ryan Palmer, Matt NeSmith, Justin Lower

8:07 a.m. – Patton Kizzire, Kramer Hickok, Callum Tarren

8:18 a.m. – Seamus Power, Adam Hadwin, Adam Schenk

8:29 a.m. – Taylor Moore, Chris Kirk, Russell Henley

8:40 a.m. – Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Denny McCarthy

8:51 a.m. – Keith Mitchell, Russell Knox, Mark Hubbard

9:02 a.m. – Chesson Hadley, Zac Blair, Matthias Schwab

9:13 a.m. – James Hahn, Cameron Percy, Doc Redman

9:24 a.m. – Kevin Chappell, Doug Ghim, Max McGreevy

9:35 a.m. – Austin Cook, Wesley Bryan, Ben Taylor

9:46 a.m. – Tano Goya, Augusto Nunez, Marcus Byrd

9:57 a.m. – Reid Martin, Kaito Onishi, Gordon Sargent

1:10 p.m. – D.A. Points, William McGirt, Dylan Wu

1:21 p.m. – Sung Kang, Geoff Ogilvy, Scott Brown

1:32 p.m. – Grayson Murray, Derek Lamely, Paul Haley II