John Deere Classic Preview, Picks & Analysis

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

THREE men have dominated the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run, and it would be no surprise to see two of them battling it out for the title again. Steve Stricker, the 49-year-old PGA Tour veteran has won three times, in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Zach Johnson won in 2012 and finished second in 2013 and 2014 and it was Jordan Spieth's first title, back in 2013 and he returned to win it again last year.

Stricker has become a part-time golfer and is clearly in the autumn of his career, but he remains a world-class golfer with a fabulous putting stroke. He played well at both The Open and the US PGA Championship and still seems to contend just about every time he tees up the ball. He is one of Davis Love's Ryder Cup vice-captains but has recently shown some great form and could yet play his way on to the team.

TPC Deere Run measures 7,259 yards and is a par 71 - last year, only four holes averaged above their par. It is a course that favours shotmakers, which is why Stricker has done so well here in the past. He has never been a bomber, relying on accuracy from the tee. Since his second coming on tour Stricker has become one of the great iron players, setting up birdie opportunities for his metronomic putting stroke. He may well be about to qualify for the Champions Tour, but make no mistake - he still has the game to win on the PGA Tour.

Johnson is from the same mould as Stricker. Again, he finds more fairways than he misses and is still riding the crest of a wave after winning last year's Open. Like Stricker, Johnson is a giant on the greens and you can't win here unless you can putt - when Stricker won in 2010 he did so with a mind-boggling 72-hole total of 258, and the winning score is usually in the region of 264. Prepare to see a lot of extremely low scores again and dozens of birdie and eagles putts being holed. If Johnson has his eye in, he will take some beating.

Spieth should, of course, have been playing in the Olympic golf tournament in Rio but cited health fears over the zika virus for not going to Brazil. Instead, it would not have been unreasonable to have expected him to head to Illinois to defend his title, but he has decided not to. Spieth has turned his ire on the media this year, saying that they expected too much of him after 2015's heroics. That seems a trifle unfair. After all, it is Spieth who has been hitting the wayward drives and approach shots in 2016, not the media. During his majestic 2015 he consistently said the right thing at the right time and won a huge army of fans, desperate to see another superstar emerge.

It has been different this season. Ever since his meltdown in the final round of The Masters we have seen a different model. There have been temper tantrums, there have been disagreements with his caddie and, quite frankly, there has been some awful golf. He was always likely to suffer a reaction after such an astonishing season, but his indifferent form has come as a surprise. 

Deere Run is where it all began for Spieth, when he won his first professional tournament as a 19 year old. The one constant within his game has been his putting. Yes, he has missed some short ones, but there is still nobody better from 25 feet, and you get the feeling that Spieth has been stung by the criticism surrounding his non-participation in Rio, and could have used this week as a springboard to finish the season in style.

If anybody in this field needs a big week it is Hunter Mahan. The 34-year-old has won six times on the PGA Tour, including two World Golf Championship events, but his last success came at The Barclays in 2014. He made the US Ryder Cup team in 2008, 2010 and 2014, but is a million miles away from doing so this year. Mahan has missed 10 cuts this season and his world ranking has tumbled to 203. His short game was always shaky (his fluffed chip against Graeme McDowell at Celtic Manor in 2010 effectively cost the USA the Ryder Cup), but his entire game has fallen off a cliff now.

Mahan is a genuinely likeable man, who has worked and continues to work hard on his game. There will be many people out there pulling for him.

Jon Rahm was the world's best amateur when he turned professional after the US Open. If he carries on the way he has, it won't be long before he is the best professional in the world too. In his first torunament as a pro, the Quicken Loans National, he finished third. Not content with that, he finished second in the Canadian Open and contended again at the Travelers Championship. The 21-year-old is a phenomenon and it is surely only a matter of time before he wins. And the best news of all? He is European, from Spain to be precise.

Look out, too, for Daniel Summerhays. Any player who keeps getting himself into contention the way that Summerhays has recently must break through eventually. He has enjoyed six top 15 finishes in 2016 and the 32-year-old is good enough to win. It could be this week that it finally happens for him. He lost his card in 2011, immediately won it back and has steadily improved every year since then - he is just outside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings.

John Deere Classic Tips & Picks

To Win:

Jon Rahm. A superstar in the making

Each Way:

Zach Johnson. As tough as old boots

Each Way

Daniel Summerhays. Must win soon

John Deere Classic Fantasy Picks

John Rahm. Not afraid to win

Zach Johnson. Has shown signs of his best lately

Daniel Summerhays. Keeps knocking on the door

Keegan Bradley. Confidence growing once more

Matt Jones. Terrific Australian who is underrated

Ben Martin. One of the best swings on tour

Hunter Mahan. Boom or bust

Robert Streb. Finally rediscovered his best form

Steve Stricker. Still defying the years

Ryan Moore. A money-making machine