PGA DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Primer: John Deere Classic (2025)

The John Deere Classic is gearing up for Round 1 at TPC Deere Run as the latest PGA Tour event. 156 golfers will descend upon the Quad Cities, with Ben Griffin valued as the betting favorite at +1600 odds.

Other notable golfers in this field include Jason Day, Denny McCarthy, J.T. Poston, Sungjae Im, Jake Knapp, Rickie Fowler and Max Homa. Without Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa or Xander Schauffele in attendance, there’s ample opportunity for golfers to climb into contention while playing one of the PGA Tour’s most birdie-friendly courses.

Last week’s 2025 Rocket Classic DFS Primer had some good and bad performances from the four golfers I recommended. Two-time winner and defending champion Cam Davis struggled, missing the cut in his second title defense. Cameron Young also played poorly, sliding outside the top 40, despite being an expensive asset in DraftKings lineups at $9.3K. Harry Hall (T13) and Andrew Putnam (T8) both returned value with top 15 finishes.

Here are my favorite golfers to plug into DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups leading up to the 2025 John Deere Classic. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more PGA free picks and analysis.

2025 John Deere Classic DFS Primer

Previous Winners

• 2024 – Davis Thompson (-28)
• 2023 – Sepp Straka (-21)
• 2022 – J.T. Poston (-21)
• 2021 – Lucas Glover (-19)
• 2020 – Dylan Frittelli (-21)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Scrambling
• Strokes Gained: Putting
• Total Driving
• Sand Save Percentage

Course Overview

TPC Deere Run is a par 71 that stretches 7,289 yards along an elevated plot of land built on an Arabian horse farm. Situated alongside the Rock River near the Iowa and Illinois border, the undulated Bentgrass greens measure 12.5 feet via Stimpmeter.

Most fairways are doglegged and lined with trees, in addition to big sand bunkers punishing errant tee shots. The rough is a mixture of fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. Minimal water hazards are in play but the greens average under 5,500 square feet, emphasizing accuracy on approach.

Fairways are pretty wide, despite their curved doglegged feature. There’s going to be a lot of potential sand saves out of fairway and green side bunkers, with elevation changes also creating different depth perception. Of course, whoever gets hot scrambling or putting will be able to convert birdies, which is essential to launch into contention.

Recommended Plays: DraftKings

DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000

Michael Thorbjornsen: $9,100

There’s a lot of hype and high expectations around Michael Thorbjornsen, which makes me a bit skeptical about this play. However, Thorbjornsen did card a runner-up finish at 24-under-par during his second time playing the John Deere Classic in 2024.

The 23-year-old is coming off of a T4 finish at the Rocket Classic and briefly held the outright lead on Sunday. He’s ranked 16th SG: Off-the-Tee, including second total driving. Also 21st in scoring average and sixth in birdie average.

Thorbjornsen hits over 70 percent of greens in regulation and sits eighth with approach shots from 200+ yards. He’s worth an elevated salary based on current form and course history.

Michael Kim: $8,200

Michael Kim won the 2018 John Deere Classic at 27-under-par. He’s got three top 10 finishes in 2025 and is coming off of a solid T26 finish at the Rocket Classic, shooting under par in all four rounds.

Kim ranks 40th SG: Approach, 45th proximity, 15th scrambling and leads the PGA Tour in sand save percentage. He’s also 35th on par 4s.

At $8.2K on DraftKings, there’s some value to grab on Kim ahead of his return to TPC Deere Run. It’s worth noting he’s missed the cut at this event in all four trips after his win but Kim’s got enough talent tee-to-green to justify inserting him into lineups at a decent price.

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Recommended Plays: FanDuel

FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000

Thriston Lawrence: $9,100

Thriston Lawrence is heating up on the PGA Tour and he’s done it while playing two very different golf courses. A T12 during the U.S. Open was followed up with a T8 finish at the Rocket Classic on Sunday.

The South African golfer is a bomber off-the-tee and his good touch on the greens. He’s recorded 72.5 or more fantasy points in three of 13 PGA Tour events this season.

Lawrence has shown the ability to contend at birdie fests like what we’re going to see in the Quad Cities this week. Let’s insert him into FanDuel lineups at $9.1K.

Jackson Suber: $8,500

The best value play in FanDuel lineups is Jackson Suber at $8.5K. He’s coming off of a T6 finish at the Rocket Classic and ranks eighth SG: Approach.

Suber is only 25 years old and has a pair of top 10 finishes in 2025. Ranked 37th on approach shots from 200+ yards, 22nd proximity and top 60 for driving distance and greens in regulation rate.

It’s his TPC Deere Run debut this week, so it’ll be interesting to see how the young ball-striker navigates this course. I believe in his talent, especially with his irons, although Suber’s short game leaves much to be desired.

94.1 and 132 fantasy points in two straight events entering Round 1 at the John Deere Classic. In 2025, Suber has gone over 85 fantasy points in four of 14 events, so he’s certainly worth a flier at a mid-range price like this.