2019 John Deere Classic - Sungjae Im and Zach Johnson tipped to excel at TPC Deere Run

John Eastwood

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Last updated: 14 Jul 2019

John Eastwood 14 Jul 2019

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Field shorn of top stars competes in Quad Cities ahead of the British Open

Sungjae Im has the form and game to succeed at the 2019 John Deere Classic (Getty Images)

2019 John Deere Classic Golf Preview, Betting Tips & Live Stream

The final PGA Tour event before the 2019 British Open takes place at TPC Deere Run as a field missing many of the tour's top stars compete at the 2019 John Deere Classic. Ahead of the first tee shot on Thursday, we evaluate the field and advise where to place your bets.

2019 John Deere Classic Betting Odds

Viktor Hovland (17.00)
Colin Morikawa (19.00)
Joaquin Niemann (23.00)
Matthew Wolf (23.00)
Sungjae Im (23.00)
Brian Harman (26.00)
Charles Howell III (29.00)
Zach Johnson (29.00)
Lucas Glover (31.00)
Ryan Moore (31.00)

2019 John Deere Classic Top Contenders

Viktor Hovland (17.00)

It is testament to how highly-rated Viktor Hovland is and how quickly he has adapted to the PGA Tour that after just three events as a pro, he is the bookmakers' favourite to win the John Deere Classic. After beginning pro life with a tied-54th at the Travelers Championship, the 20-year-old Dane claimed successive tied-13ths at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and 3M Open. In an open field, Hovland will be confident of contending.

Colin Morikawa (19.00)

Another young player who has comfortably made the step up to the PGA Tour since June, Colin Morikawa was extremely close to forcing a play-off at the 3M Open last week before finishing tied-second. His first event this year, at the Canadian Open last month, resulted in a tied-14th finish. Like Viktor Hovland, Morikawa has the game and form to win his first title this week.

Joaquin Niemann (23.00)

Joaquin Niemann is enjoying a fine patch of form of late and arrives at the John Deere Classic following a rollercoaster campaing at the 3M Open - where he co-led the field in par-4 scoring, but was outside the top-60 in par-3 and par-5 scoring. As a result, he finished tied-23rd. However, prior to that, the 20-year-old Chilean claimed successive tied-fifths at the Travelers and Rocket Mortgage, so he has the form and recent results to perform well as TPC Deere Run.

Matthew Wolf (23.00)

Matthew Wolf experienced the biggest moment of his professional career so far last week when, on jist his fourth PGA Tour start, he won the title at the 3M Open in stunning style. That performance came after a missed cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Can the 20-year-old American go back-to-back? Given his inexperience, it seems unlikely.

Sungjae Im (23.00)

Singjae Im has produced remarkable levels of consistency for a rookie player this season, and the past few weeks the 21-year-old South Korean has been in fine nick. Im placed solo seventh at the Canadian Open, before successive tied-21sts at the Travelers Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic. Most recently, he placed tied-15th at the 3M Open. In that time, Im has shot 12 of 16 rounds in the 60s. It is only a matter of time before he claims his first PGA Tour title and we have a feeling it could be this week at the John Deere Classic.

2019 John Deere Classic Outsiders

Zach Johnson (29.00)

Zach Johnson has endured a difficult season, with just one top-10 - at the RSM Classic - and one other top-20 at the RBC Heritage. However, few players boast his John Deere Classic pedigree. Johnson won the title in 2012 and has three other runner-up finishes, in 2009, 2013 and 2014. A return home could provide the jolt his season needs.

Lucas Glover (31.00)

After two missed cuts at the US Open and Travelers Championship, Lucas Glover bounced back to claim a tied-seventh finish at the 3M Open. Should he build on that showing from TPC Twin Cities and replicate the early season form that saw him claim back-to-back top-10s at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Honda Classic, Glover can be a contender this week.

Troy Merritt (67.00)

Troy Merritt arrives at the John Deere Classic following a strong showing at the 3M Open where he placed tied-seventh. The American is familiar with the TPC Deere Run setup and his tee-to-green game should suit the course nicely.

Johnson Wagner (101.00)

Johnson Wagner has missed four cuts in his past six events, but prepared for the John Deere Classic with a tied-23rd at the 3M Open. He makes our list of outsiders due to his fine record at this event: since 2014, Wagner has posted two tied-fifths, a tied-seventh and a tied-16th with a scoring average of 67.44.

2019 John Deere Classic Key Stats

The 2019 John Deere Classic is a par-71 played over 7,257 yards
Zach Johnson has seven top-five finishes in his past 10 visits to the John Deere Classic
Sungjae Im leads the field in most scores under-par (62) sub-70 rounds (48)

2019 John Deere Classic Betting Tips

In a field led by the PGA Tour's next generation, we are backing a first-time winner to follow in the footsteps of Matthew Wolf's 3M Open triumph: Sungjae Im has the form and confidence to clinch his first title this week. We are also predicting a return to form for Zach Johnson. His results at this track are just too good to ignore, while Viktor Hovland has the talent to contend.

Top European: Viktor Hovland @ 2.25 at bet365 - 3 Units

Top 20 Finish: Zach Johnson @ 2.62 at bet365 - 2 Units

Winner: Sungjae Im @ 23.00 at bet365 - 1 Unit