This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
John Deere Classic
Silvis, Illinois
TPC Deere Run - Par 71 - 7,268 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $6.2M
The Preview
The first leg of the PGA Tour's Midwest Swing culminated with a five-hole playoff eventually awarding a first-time champion as Cam Davis outlasted Troy Merritt in Detroit, but an even less amusing collection of 156 entrants now travel to the Quad Cities with Open Championship preparations well underway for the game's top talent. Despite an underwhelming strength of field at TPC Deere Run, the par-71 layout invites par-breaker chances in bunches as the winning score likely reaches the 20-under-par mark. Since 2010, the cut line has been three-under on six separate occasions here. Precise short-iron play and the conversion of birdie opportunities go a long way on this relatively easy track by modern Tour standards. Rain is likely to roll in at some point Friday afternoon, so a Thursday afternoon-Friday morning lineup stack might be advantageous if the scattered showers are accompanied by a stronger breeze.
Recent Champions
2020 - None
2019 - Dylan Frittelli
2018 - Michael Kim
2017 - Bryson DeChambeau
2016 - Ryan Moore
2015 - Jordan Spieth
2014 - Brian Harman
2013 - Jordan Spieth
2012 - Zach Johnson
2011 - Steve Stricker
Key Stats to Victory
Birdie-or-Better Percentage
SG: Approach
Par-4: 400-450 Efficiency
SG: Putting (bentgrass)
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Brian Harman - $42
The 2014 JDC champion enters this year's edition fresh off a run of three straight top-20s since the Charles Schwab Challenge, most recently tying for fifth at the Travelers Championship where he posted his third-best putting performance of the season. Harman, who's placed T26 or better in five of seven career trips to TPC Deere, ranks fifth in P4: 400-450 efficiency and sixth in SG: Tee-to-Green over his last 12 rounds.
Russell Henley - $41
Jumping off the page from a ball-striking perspective, Henley arrives first in both SG: Approach and Prox: 150-175 over his last 12 rounds while also ranking third in Prox: 125-150 throughout this time frame. He's been a below-average putter on bentgrass, but Henley's gained strokes with the flat stick in three of his last four starts en route to back-to-back top-20s at the U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship. He secured runner-up honors at the 2019 John Deere Classic, firing a final-round 61 as he ultimately paced the entire field with 28 total birdies.
Glue Guys
Zach Johnson - $35
The Quad Cities' hometown hero owns seven career top-5s at TPC Deere Run, and he hasn't missed a single cut here in 12 consecutive showings. Course history aside, Johnson provides additional intrigue given he's top-10 in Prox: 125-150, Opportunities Gained, P4: 400-450 efficiency and Prox: 100-125 yards over his past 12 rounds. Expanding the sample size to 36 rounds, he's seventh in SG: Putting on bentgrass.
Aaron Wise - $33
Wise has made the cut in eight of his last nine starts dating to the PLAYERS Championship, with a trio of top-15s mixed in at the Honda Classic, Wells Fargo Championship and the Memorial Tournament. A disappointing T66 in his most recent start at the Travelers could help somewhat limit his lineup exposure, but I'm not concerned with his ball striking given he lost five strokes putting at TPC River Highlands. Throughout his past 12 rounds, Wise resides second in P4: 400-450 efficiency, third in Prox: 150-175, fourth in SG: T2G and ninth in SG: Approach. Wise's relatively blank JDC resume does include a T16 during his TPC Deere Run debut in 2016.
Bargain Bin
Kyle Stanley - $27
Stanley just continues to provide both a quality floor and legitimate upside from the Bargain Bin thanks to his stellar iron play, but positive regression on the greens has yet to show itself. Nonetheless, he's still managed to make six straight cuts dating to the Valspar Championship, which is awesome for someone who was situated at the minimum $20 salaries for five of those starts. He's undervalued even at $27 this week, while he's currently third in Opportunities Gained and sixth in SG: APP over his past 12 rounds.
Seamus Power - $23
Positioned in the No. 2 spot of both SG: Approach and SG: Tee-to-Green over his last 12 rounds, Power is a no-brainer at just $23 with four consecutive top-20s under his belt since the AT&T Byron Nelson. Power hasn't missed a cut on the PGA Tour since February's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he most recently gained a combined 10.9 strokes with his irons at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and Travelers Championship. Additionally, he's 3-for-3 in cuts made at TPC Deere Run with a pair of top-25 results.
Alex Smalley - $20
A potential dart throw option in GPP contests, Smalley joined the field as a Monday qualifier on the heels of back-to-back top-5s on the Forme Tour. The 24-year-old Duke product only has two starts to his name so far this season, but he finished T14-T22 at both the September and March versions of the Corales Championship. Given his 200-1 odds despite Monday qualifying, Smalley has proven capable of holding his own amongst the pool of minimum-salaried players.
