We have not been getting much LIV Golf buzz this week. That might actually be a bad thing (as there are fewer and fewer golfers to "poach"), and when you look at the field for this event you might be able to see the impact. There is just not a lot of star power this weekend.
A guy getting some buzz is three-time John Deere Classic champion Steve Stricker. Sure he has had success here, but his last win in this tournament (and on the PGA Tour) was back in 2011.
This week appears to be pretty wide open with Webb Simpson and Adam Hadwin at the top of the odds table. You don't have to go too far down the list to find some very nice payoffs.
Even though this is far from the best field, the course plays fairly easily so we should expect some low scores from whichever golfer is at the top of the leaderboard.
Dated: June 30 - July 3
Course: TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois
Purse: $7,100,000
J.T. Poston Top 10 (+600)
Poston played great last week, finishing second at the Travelers. I am looking for him to carry that momentum into this spot. He missed the cut at last year's John Deere, but with a limited field, I think he is worth a shot to play well this week.
Webb Simpson Top Five (+320)
If you like Simpson this week, you can pick him off the top of the odds board, but you are not sacrificing too value much to take him to finish in the top five. You still get to triple your money but with much less risk. Even though there is a reduced field, it is still hard to win an event. Usually, the guy at the top does not have as good a payoff as this for this derivative bet.
Charles Howell III (+100) vs. Maverick McNealy
This is another great derivative bet. I am not sure why Howell is the underdog in this spot given McNealy has missed the cut in the last two events. Meanwhile, Howell has finished on the final leaderboard (top 25) in the last three John Deere Classics.
Denny McCarthy +2500
McCarthy missed the cut at the Travelers last week, but he was in the top 10 in the two previous events, including the U.S. Open. That recency bias looks like it is creating a buying opportunity as he tries to get his first win on the Tour. I like his putting ability for this course.
Vaughn Taylor Top 10 (+800)
Taylor has not won on the Tour since 2016. He is ranked 430th in the world rankings so he is off the radar most weeks. However, he has played well in this event, making the cut in the last four and twice finishing in the top 10 over the last decade. That is a nice payoff for a top 10 finish.
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