If you like birdie fests then you’ve been loving life on the PGA TOUR the last couple of weeks. That party continues this week at TPC Deere Run and the John Deere Classic! The field looks like the weakest field we have seen in 2023 but that doesn’t mean much for us DraftKings Reignmakers players! There are still thousands of dollars to be won, so let’s jump in.

Course Detail

TPC Deere Run is a par 71 at 7200+ yards where tons of birdies will be made. Winning scores the last four years are JT Poston at -21, Lucas Glover -19, Dylan Frittelli -21, and Michael Kim -27! Expect scores in the 60s even in a field as weak as we have in 2023.

From a statistical standpoint, TPC Deere Run is a course where accurate drivers of the golf ball have historically fared quite well. Its easier to give yourself birdie looks from the short grass. Overall, as is the case in these birdie fests, putting is going to be paramount. We know there is a ton of variance in putting but generally speaking, without Scottie Scheffler in the field, the guys at the top of the leaderboard will be putting quite well.

Golfer Targets

As is always the case, I highlight three golfers I like each week across the odds ranges: Best odds (+2000 or better), mid-range (+2000-9000), and long shots (+10000 and up). I use the odds to simply separate golfers into tiers and highlight golfers based on price, skillset, statistical analysis, and other data.

In this field we can embrace golf variance in a big way! The names at the top of the odds board aren’t names that typically find themselves at the top very often. This is a week where I’m comfortable playing just about every team in the GTD contests because its all about getting the captain correct and getting any 5 golfers through the cut!

Best Odds: Russell Henley LOW ASK, CORE $5.89, RARE $24, ELITE $144.44

Henley has missed one cut since February and it was at the PGA Championship in one of the strongest fields in golf. Now he finds himself in one of the weakest fields where he’s the odds on favorite to win the tournament. I’m not quite sure that he wins this week but I’m not fading Henley at the top of the board. He’s gained strokes on approach and ball striking in 6 straight events and he’s an elite tee-to-green player in this field. If the putter heats up and he gains a few strokes putting like he did at Augusta and Colonial then he will find himself near the top of the board on Sunday.

Mid Range: Patrick Rodgers LOW ASK, CORE $1.88, RARE $9.25, ELITE $60

Patrick Rodgers is one of the more decorated PGA TOUR pros without a PGA TOUR victory. We saw him in contention earlier this year at the Valero Texas Open but he could not get the job done on Sunday. In a field like this, Rodgers simply has more experience than most of the guys that are teeing it up. He’s finished inside the cutline at Deere Run in 5 straight appearances and finished 2nd in 2017. He ranks 71st in birdie or better percentage on the PGA TOUR and he’s going to need to give himself looks at birdie this week to win.

Long Shot: Justin Lower LOW ASK, CORE $1.12, RARE $4.45, ELITE $35

Its hard to align the stars with stats and data in the long shot category this week. The variance with golfers in this range is quite high. I looked into guys like Zac Blair, Lanto Griffin, course history extraordinaire Zach Johnson (who is quite viable) and others. This week I’m landing on Justin Lower. His putter was absolutely scorching last week and my hope is that he can keep it going this week.

All Reignmakers data from our site: https://www.otmnft.com/reignmakerspro where you can get every piece of Reignmakers data that you need, build lineups, analyze your portfolio of cards, and more. Check it out now!

That will do it for this week, best of luck and I’ll see you on the leaderboards.