The PGA Tour rolls into the Quad Cities this week for the John Deere Classic, the final event before heading to Royal Lytham & St. Annes for the British Open. This tournament may as well be known as the Steve Stricker Invitational because he has won here the last three years.
Take a look at our fantasy rankings for this week, then tweet out your picks using the hashtag #GCFantasy and send them to me @RyanBallengeeGC. Also be sure to join the Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge to test yourself against our panel of experts, including defending champion Win McMurry.
1. Steve Stricker: The three-time defending champion here has a knack for TPC Deere Run. He is No. 1 here for the duration of his Tour career.
2. Zach Johnson: As close as it comes to a home game for Johnson, the Deere is an event he loves. He was T-2 in 2009 and T-3 here a year ago.
3. Charley Hoffman: Hoffman is coming off of a T-2 effort at the Travelers, whose host course offers up a lot of birdie opportunities, just like TPC Deere Run. He was T-7 here last year.
4. Jonathan Byrd: Byrd is one of the few in the field to win here other than Stricker, taking the title in 2007. He was T-22 last week at Greenbrier, where birdies were not in short supply.
5. Seung-yul Noh: Noh has been inconsistent all year, but he has two top-seven finishes in his last four starts and earned money in all of them.
6. Brendon de Jonge: De Jonge likes this time of year. He played great at Greenbrier the last two years, as with Deere Run. He was T-7 here in 2010 and ’11.
7. Charles Howell III: He’s not playing his best golf right now, but Howell III does typically fare well in this event. He was T-5 last year and has never missed the cut.
8. Chez Reavie: Reavie has top-15 finishes in his last two Tour starts, including at the Travelers. He was T-5 here last year.
9. Sean O’Hair: O’Hair has been hot of late, including a T-7 effort at the Greenbrier last week. He won here in 2005 but hasn’t played here since 2008.
10. Scott Piercy: One of two things happens with Piercy: a missed cut or a top 25 finish. There’s almost no in-between with him. Has cashed in here the last two years. He finished T-12 at Greenbrier.
