The John Deere Classic starts Thursday at TPC Deere Run, and the birdies will fly early in Silvis, Illinois. This is one of the most scorable stops on the PGA Tour, where the winning total has topped 20 under par in nine of the last 12 years.
Ben Griffin and Chris Gotterup share top billing on our board at +1600, while a deep and hungry 144-man field chases 500 FedEx Cup points ahead of the playoffs. Below we break down the full market, make our featured pick, add a value play at a longer number, and round up the secondary angles worth a look. Our headline pick is Griffin, and we explain why the price still works.
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 1, 2026
2026 John Deere Classic — Time & How to Watch
| Where | TPC Deere Run, Silvis, IL |
| When | Thursday, July 2 – First tee 7:40 AM ET |
| TV | Golf Channel (Thu-Fri); CBS & Golf Channel (Sat-Sun) |
Pre-Tournament Report
The John Deere Classic sits the week before the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open, so several stars are elsewhere. Even so, the field carries real depth. Two-time John Deere champion Jordan Spieth returns, and he is joined by Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Tom Kim, and 2025 champion Brian Campbell. Highly touted amateur Jackson Koivun makes his professional debut here at +2200. The headliners in the market, however, are Griffin and Gotterup, both at +1600.
TPC Deere Run rewards a specific skill set. The par-71 layout measures 7,327 yards, but length matters less than precision. Generous fairways and receptive bentgrass greens invite controlled aggression, and the course annually ranks among the Tour’s leaders in birdie rate. Three par 5s and several short par 4s create constant scoring chances. In short, sharp iron play and a hot putter matter far more than raw distance. Campbell won here last year in a playoff over Emiliano Grillo, and the recent roll of champions tends to reward accurate ball-strikers who convert wedges.
2026 John Deere Classic — Top Odds to Win
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ben Griffin | +1600 |
| Chris Gotterup | +1600 |
| Jackson Koivun | +2200 |
| Keith Mitchell | +2500 |
| Tom Kim | +2500 |
| J.T. Poston | +2800 |
| Keegan Bradley | +2800 |
| Eric Cole | +3000 |
| Michael Thorbjornsen | +3000 |
| Jacob Bridgeman | +3500 |
Odds accurate as of Wednesday, July 1, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest Golf Odds – Props
2026 John Deere Classic Prediction – Best Bet: Ben Griffin Top Pick to Win
The Pick: Ben Griffin to win (+1600). Griffin arrives as a co-favorite, and the profile fits this course cleanly. He broke through in 2025, first winning the team event at the Zurich Classic alongside Andrew Novak, then claiming his first individual title at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial. He has carried that form into 2026 with a string of top finishes and ranks near the top of the Tour in adjusted scoring average.
The course history helps, too. Griffin posted a top-five at TPC Deere Run in 2024, so he has already proven he can go low here. His iron play and short game travel well to a venue that rewards wedge control. Meanwhile, the birdie-heavy setup suits a player who makes few mistakes and rolls the ball well on soft greens.
Still, the case against is real. Griffin has not won an individual event yet in 2026, and +1600 is a short number in a 144-man field where anyone can catch fire for four days. The John Deere often produces a surprise champion rather than a chalk favorite, so the value is thinner than his talent suggests. The upside is that Griffin’s floor is high, his game matches the test, and a player in this form does not need much to break through at a course he already likes.
Value Play Prediction — J.T. Poston
The Value Play: J.T. Poston to win (+2800). Poston is a past John Deere Classic champion, and few players in this field fit the venue better. He is one of the Tour’s most reliable putters, which is exactly the trait that separates contenders on these greens. He already owns a win this season, so the class is proven and the price offers more room than the two co-favorites.
The concern is consistency. Poston backed up strong recent play with a rough week at the Travelers Championship, where a blow-up hole wrecked an otherwise solid week. This course demands four clean rounds, and one wild stretch can end a birdie-fest bid in a hurry. However, at +2800 the number bakes in that volatility. For a former winner who knows how to go low here, that is a defensible value angle.
Tournament Outlook — Picks and Final Thoughts
Beyond the outright market, a couple of secondary angles stand out. In the Top American Player market, Ben Griffin (+1100) lines up as a natural correlated play for anyone backing him to win, given how many contenders here are U.S. players. It pays out on a strong week even if he falls a shot short of the trophy. The trade-off is a crowded American field, so the price is not generous.
Group betting offers another route. In the five-man Tournament Group Betting bracket that includes Spieth and Eric Cole, J.T. Poston (+350) is a sensible pick to finish as the low man. It narrows the pool to beat and leans on his course fit. The counter is that group betting still needs him to outplay several capable names over 72 holes.
Expect the winning number to land deep in the 20-under range again. Fairways are gettable, the par 5s are reachable, and the field will chase birdies from the opening tee shot. To recap our card: Ben Griffin to win (+1600) is the featured pick, J.T. Poston to win (+2800) is the value play, Griffin as Top American Player (+1100) is the correlated add-on, and Poston to win his group (+350) rounds out the ticket. Two-sided as always: the John Deere loves a longshot, so stakes should reflect a wide-open week.
2026 John Deere Classic Betting FAQ
Who is the favorite to win the 2026 John Deere Classic?
Ben Griffin and Chris Gotterup share favorite status at +1600 via TheSpread.com. Jackson Koivun is next on the board at +2200 for his professional debut.
When does the 2026 John Deere Classic start?
Round 1 begins Thursday, July 2, 2026 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. The first groups tee off at 7:40 AM ET in a two-tee start.
What channel is the 2026 John Deere Classic on?
Golf Channel carries early-round coverage on Thursday and Friday. Weekend coverage is split between Golf Channel and CBS on Saturday and Sunday.
Who won the John Deere Classic last year?
Brian Campbell won the 2025 John Deere Classic in a playoff over Emiliano Grillo. He returns to TPC Deere Run this week to defend the title.
What is the purse for the 2026 John Deere Classic?
The 2026 John Deere Classic features an $8.8 million purse. The winner earns $1.584 million and 500 FedEx Cup points.
For more on the market ahead of Thursday, see our 2026 John Deere Classic odds preview, and revisit our recent Memorial Tournament predictions for more PGA Tour analysis.