PGA PrizePicks for the John Deere Classic

PrizePicks offers a different way to play fantasy sports than simply building a lineup of different golfers on a salary. There are different categories of props and matchups which are not often offered anywhere else. I’m going to go through a few different angles on how to play during the Travelers Championship.Bottom of Form

PrizePicks has birdie matchups, fairways hit, greens in regulation, score and occasionally scoring on set holes on the course. These props are setup for single round action allowing you do adjust as you go and get more information as the tournament progresses. 

If you have never played on Prize Picks or what more background, I highly suggest reading this article by FTN’s Tyler Loechner on how it works. It’s a great breakdown of the site works.

John Deere Classic Breakdown

For Round 1, I decided to target “Birdies or Better.” This week’s event is played at TPC Deere Run, a course which historically produces over 4 birdies per round for the field. Only twice in the last five years was the average below four, and it was 3.9 and 3.8. With fairways that are easy to find off the tee and one of the highest percentages of green hit in regulation, it’s no wonder TPC Deere Run is one of the easiest courses played every year. 

Birdies or Better

• Maverick McNealy OVER 3.5
• Charles Howell III OVER 3.5

Both McNealy and Howell are two of the higher birdie producers in the field this week which is what drew my attention. McNealy averages over 4 birdies per round in 2022, with a birdie or better percentage of almost 24%. He’s long off the tee and takes advantage of par 5’s, birding them more than 50% of the time. 

Howell has produced almost at the same rate as McNealy in 2022, with just over four per round and close to 23% of holes played. The veteran has only failed to average less than four birdies per round at this event twice since 2010 and knows his way around the course quite well. 

For all of my PGA PrizePicks selections, be sure to check out our FREE tracker!