Ben Griffin Opens as Favorite for 2025 John Deere Classic
With a lot of big names absent, opening golf betting odds suggest a wide open field when the PGA Tour assembles in the heartland of Illinois for this week’s John Deere Classic. With no more Signature Events on the schedule and players preparing for a trip overseas for two of the next three tournaments, which includes the season’s final major, most big names are getting much-needed rest. This event sits in a bad spot on the schedule but does its best to annually attract a strong field. A two-time winner this season, Ben Griffin opened as the betting favorite. Griffin is playing stellar golf, placing among the top 15 in each of his last six starts, including a win at the Charles Schwab Challenge and runner-up at the Memorial Tournament.
2025 John Deere Classic Overview
The 2025 John Deere Classic takes place from July 3 through July 6 at TPC Deere Run in the Quad Cities community of Silvis, IL. Davis Thompson is back to defend the title he won last year by four swings over a trio of golfers. Davis went 64 or lower in three of four rounds setting a tournament scoring record on the 7,289-yard, par-71 host layout. Low scores are common with eight of the past 10 winners finishing at 20-under or better. An official PGA Tour event since 1972, the John Deere Classic has been contested at TPC Deere Run since 2000. The tournament will air on CBS, Golf Channel and ESPN+
2025 John Deere Classic Betting Odds
Ben Griffin +1600
Jason Day +2500
Denny McCarthy +2500
J.T. Poston +2800
Chris Kirk +2800
Si Woo Kim +2800
Jake Knapp +3300
Sungjae Im +3300
Michael Thorbjornsen +3300
Davis Thompson +3300
Kevin Yu +3300
Chris Gotterup +3300
Luke Clanton +3300
All Other Players +3500 or higher
2025 John Deere Classic Top Contenders
Jason Day
One of the bigger names in the field, Day enters on a run of solid form with a top 25 at the U.S. Open following a T4 at the Travelers Championship, his fourth top 10 of the season. Day is the third highest ranked player in the field at No. 28 in the OWGR and was sub-70 in all four rounds of this tournament last year, returning after a more than decade-long absence. A watered down field bodes well for the veteran.
Ben Griffin
When you’re on a run of form like Griffin is, you had better keep playing. Making his 23rd start of the year, Griffin has placed among the top 15 in his last six, including top 10s in the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. He finished four shots off the pace last week but continued his consistent play with all four rounds under 70 leading to a T13. Making his debut in this event last year, Griffin closed with a 62 earning a share of fifth place.
Thriston Lawrence
With a wide open field it could pay off dropping down the odds board for an outright winner. Lawrence isn’t getting much respect following a run of six straight MCs, but a brief return to the DP World Tour has apparently helped. He earned a top 5 in one of those starts and was T12 at the U.S. Open in his return to the PGA Tour. He followed that up with a T8 at last week’s Rocket Classic
Denny McCarthy
Given his recent history at TPC Deere Run backing McCarthy appears to be a wise bet. He’s the only player in the field with consecutive top 10s here and has a current streak of three straight going T6-T6-T7 since 2002. He’s at No. 37 in the FedExCup standings and has eight top 20s this season. Over his last three starts in this event he boasts a 66.58 scoring average.
J.T. Poston
There isn’t much to suggest Poston will break out of a slump that’s seen him go T33 or worse with a MC in his last four starts. That’s following a T5 at the PGA Championship, so as quickly as it goes it can come back. And this is a good spot for Poston to regain his form. He won this event by three swings in 2022 and has scored below 70 in each of his last 13 rounds at TPC Deere Run.
2025 John Deere Classic Prime Free Picks
While it might pay to look further down the odds board in this field, the favorites also stand out with a good price. Day is playing strong golf and the course appears to be a good fit for his game.
Pick: Jason Day
