Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – John Deere Classic

2022 John Deere Classic Fantasy Sleeper Report

There will be plenty who chastise Xander Schauffele for not winning enough on the PGA TOUR.

And maybe they’ve got a point, because the 28-year-old has just as much talent as many of those of a similar age that have gone on to bigger and better things.

But Schauffele has an Olympic gold medal – not many golfers can say that – and he now has six PGA TOUR titles to his name after prevailing at the Travelers Championship.

Embed from Getty Images

He held firm while those around him lost their minds – including, most notably, Sahith Theegala, who love to hit his drive on the 72nd hole again, no doubt. It put to bed those accusations that Schauffele is a choker, that’s for sure, when you watch back the granite drive that split the fairway and stiffed approach to three feet.

He’s one of the players that will certainly be of interest at the British Open in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime there’s the John Deere Classic to enjoy.

This is a strange old event. Not aided by its scheduling, in fairness, this is a tournament that has been won by 55/1 (Lucas Glover), 75/1 (Dylan Frittelli) and 200/1 (Michael Kim) chances in the past three years, so fans of long odds bets will certainly be licking their lips with interest.

The chances of an outsider winning the John Deere Classic have arguably been enhanced by the withdrawal of Daniel Berger, with the likes of Webb Simpson, Adam Hadwin and Theegala leading the way at the sportsbooks. Like we say, this isn’t a vintage renewal by any means.

So who will win it? Well, it will surely be somebody who putts well, because tee-to-green brilliance has rarely been required at TPC Deere Run, a 7,268 yard Par 71 that really doesn’t have many features to speak of.

There’s bunkers and water is in play on five holes, but the fairways are wide open and the Bentgrass greens are receptive, so there really is little to worry about – apart, perhaps, from a strong breeze which has been forecast for Thursday.

So there’s birdies galore out there, and those are in large supply on the three Par 5s and the Par 4 fourteenth, which with a forgiving wind can be reached from off the tee 360 yards away.

There’s not a great deal else to go on, although similarities with TPC Twin Cities – home to the 3M Open – can be seen visually and also in the typical approach distances that the players will be faced with. 

So that’s the lowdown, but without further ado let’s get into our five picks who could add to the rich history of long odds winners at the John Deere Classic.

[membership level=”0″]

You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.

Already a member?  Sign in Here.

[/membership]

[membership level=”1,2,3″]

Lucas Glover – 50/1 – Okay, so we’re not exactly reinventing the wheel with this pick.

But Lucas Glover, the defending champion, has a fantastic run of form to his name at TPC Deere Run, he has a top-10 at TPC Twin Cities and he ranks 17th on TOUR for Approaches from the 125-150 yard mark.

His recent form hasn’t been headline-making, but Glover struck the ball beautifully at the PGA Championship, and you wonder if a return to a happy hunting ground will stimulate something of a repeat.

Chez Reavie – 55/1 – It’s Chez Reavie season.

The pint-sized plodder can only compete at the PGA TOUR’s shorter tracks, but he cashed in at the Travelers last week with a T8 finish and, at the not-so-long TPC Deere Run – where he already has a pair of top-20s to his name – Reavie can make hay under the Illinois sun.

Generally an excellent approach player, Reavie rolled the rock to rank sixteenth for SG: Putting at TPC River Highlands, and while that doesn’t sound earth-shattering it does mark a considerable improvement for the 40-year-old.

Lanto Griffin – 60/1 – The former Houston Open champion has cranked out four top-10 finishes this season, and the prolific birdie-maker is known to come up with his best putting form on Bentgrass greens.

He’s another excellent approach player who creates sacks of scoring opportunities for himself, and in ranking 40th for Par 4 Birdie or Better Leaders we have a player who is knocking on the door of the elite.

Although he’s missed two consecutive cuts, the first came at the U.S. Open and the second – at last week’s Travelers Championship – came with the caveat of a superb second round of 67.

Adam Schenk – 66/1 – There aren’t many course horses in this field, but with finishes of T4 and T6 in his last two trips, Adam Schenk unexpectedly fits the bill.

And this visit comes hot on the heels of a better patch of form of late, with a top-10 at the Wells Fargo matched by top-30s at the Memorial Tournament and U.S. Open.

Another who is more at home on Bentgrass greens than any other surface, an Adam Schenk ticket could be a very useful one this week.

Cameron Champ – 66/1 – Sometimes in these weak field events, it’s a good idea to back players that know how to take care of business.

Cameron Champ has won at least once in each of his last three PGA TOUR seasons, and with expansive fairways at TPC Deere Run he will surely be looking forward to trying to make it four this week.

He’s missed a staggering four cuts in a row, so there’s that, but his win at the correlating 3M Open last season came at the end of a similarly poor run – Champ has the game to snap a losing streak and take full advantage. 

[/membership]

Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the John Deere Classic here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2021-2022)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”3.03%” bar_text=”5 out of 170 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “15.75%” bar_text=”26 out of 170 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”20.60%” bar_text=”34 out of 170 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”6.06%” bar_text=”2 out of 34 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”3.03%” bar_text=”1 out of 34 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”53.33%” bar_text=”88 out of 170 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

---

Cover photo via Instagram