The John Deere Classic has a really tough spot on the PGA Tour calendar.
It’s sandwiched between the grueling stretch around the U.S. Open and the change of pace that comes with the British Open.
As such, all but one of the top-20 players in the world will forego the trip to Silvis, Ill., for the John Deere and instead get ready for the Scottish Open, which is the warm-up event for the final major of the year.
While the lack of star power in the John Deere field is bad news for casual fans and TV networks, it opens the door for long-shot bettors looking to make a big score.
Most weeks on the PGA Tour, you need to beat at least a handful of truly elite golfers to get a ticket to the window, but the betting co-favorites at the John Deere are Russell Henley and Denny McCarthy at 14/1.
All due respect to them, but they’re not exactly Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm.
Two long shots who could make some noise at TPC Deere Run are Carl Yuan and Adam Long.
Yuan, who will tee off late on Thursday afternoon, has finished inside the top-20 in two of his last four starts and was in contention at last week’s Rocket Mortgage.
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Long, who also has a late Thursday tee time, is not in good form, but posted a T23 at TPC Deere Run in 2021 and improved to T13 last year.