The John Deere Classic 2023 is one of only five events left before the beginning of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. We preview the event at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois as well as run down some of the top players at the event and predict which golfers have the best chance of going home with this year’s trophy.
TPC Deere Run is par 71, measuring 7,289 yards as it is one of the most underrated courses on the PGA Tour. However, it continues a stretch of easier courses from the past couple of weeks. Last week, Rickie Fowler won the Rocket Mortgage Classic on the first playoff hole with a birdie over Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin.
Related: World Golf Rankings – A look at the top 10 after the Rocket Mortgage Classic
With there only five events remaining in the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season, players are making their case to be one of the top 70 that make the FedEx Cup Playoffs. It is a change this year where it used to be the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup Standings would make the playoffs.
As a result, those around the cutline need to be on the right side in order to try and get to the top 50 and not only make the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship but also to be part of next season’s designated events.
Last year, J.T. Poston became the first golfer in 30 years to go wire-to-wire at the John Deere Classic for his second victory on the PGA Tour. Poston shot a final round of 2-under 69 and won by three strokes over Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Emiliano Grillo.
What channel is the John Deere Classic on?
The John Deere Classic will be televised between CBS and the Golf Channel.
John Deere Classic 2023 TV schedule
| Round | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1 | Thursday, July 6 | 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 2 | Friday, July 7 | 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 3 | Saturday, July 8 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel CBS |
| 4 | Sunday, July 9 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel CBS |
Who are the top golfers in the John Deere Classic?
Poston makes his return to the John Deere Classic 2023 as the defending champion and Nick Taylor returns to action following his victory in his home country at the RBC Canadian Open a few weeks ago.
Last year’s PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Cameron Young, is the highest-ranked golfer in the John Deere Classic field at No. 19. Young, who has three top 10s this season highlighted by a runner-up finish at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in March, also sits at No. 49 in the FedEx Cup Standings.
Young is one of nine golfers in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings in the field this week. Iowa native and U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson is teeing it up at the John Deere Classic 2023 and is part of a featured group with Matt Kuchar and Denny McCarthy.
In total, there are eight previous John Deere Classic champions in the field, including Michael Kim, who recorded a four-round score of 257 in 2018. Which remains the scoring record at the John Deere Classic.
Predicting 5 favorites to win John Deere Classic 2023 trophy
Denny McCarthy
Denny McCarthy comes into the John Deere Classic at the No. 24 in the FedEx Cup Standings and No. 34 in the world rankings. After missing the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May, McCarthy opened the month of June with a playoff loss at the Memorial Tournament, a T20 finish at the U.S. Open, and a top-10 finish at the Travelers Championship a couple of weeks ago.
The key for McCarthy this entire season has been his putting, including this week on the TPC Deere Run greens. McCarthy leads the PGA Tour this season in putting from inside 10 feet, fourth in strokes gained, and ninth in scrambling.
Russell Henley
Russell Henley comes to the John Deere Classic with eight top-20 finishes in his last nine starts, dating back to the PLAYERS Championship in March and a top-5 finish at the Masters in April. Henley is coming off of a 63 in the final round of the Travelers Championship a couple of weeks ago to finish tied for 19th.
A lot of Henley’s success this season comes from leading the PGA Tour this season in driving accuracy, hitting fairways at a 73.09% clip. He also ranks 10th in proximity to the pin, which is vital when it comes to executing shots as Henley is right outside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings at No. 32.
Emiliano Grillo
Emiliano Grillo, who won the Charles Schwab Challenge during Memorial Day Weekend, has five top 10s this season and currently sits at No. 23 in the FedEx Cup standings. In the world rankings, Grillo stands at No. 42 and needs to remain inside the top 50 in order to make the trip across the pond to Royal Liverpool for the Open Championship.
Adam Schenk
Adam Schenk enters the John Deere Classic at No. 26 in the FedEx Cup standings. Schenk also sits at No. 51 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Already having qualified for the Open Championship in a couple of weeks, Schenk can ensure that this week with a solid week by moving inside the top 50 in the World Rankings to be in the final major tournament field of the year.
Schenk has come close to winning not once, but twice this season. He was the runner-up at the Valspar Championship in March and lost in a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May. Schenk is also coming off of a solo-seventh place finish at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Ludvig Aberg
The top college player in the PGA Tour University Standings has transitioned well since joining the Tour. In five events this season, he has yet to miss a cut while finishing as high as 24th, which came at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Travelers Championship, two of the many designated events.
The Texas Tech alum has been showcasing his power and accuracy from off the tee to the outing surface like any other successful professional on the PGA Tour.
Other coverage for the John Deere Classic
In addition to CBS and the Golf Channel, the John Deere Classic will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ and Peacock. PGA Tour Live for the marquee and feature groups can be exclusively found on ESPN+ for all four days of the tournament, in addition to the featured holes at 3, 12, 14, and 16.
The John Deere Classic will also be on the airwaves of Sirius XM.
Thursday, July 6 (Round 1)
- ESPN+: 7:45 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
- Peacock: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
- Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Friday, July 7 (Round 2)
- ESPN+: 7:45 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
- Peacock: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
- Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, July 8 (Round 3)
- ESPN+: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
- Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
- Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, July 9 (Round 4)
- ESPN+: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
- Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
- Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
How much are tickets for John Deere Classic?
Tickets for the John Deere Classic begin at $50 to walk the grounds and increase depending on hospitality or club tickets, such as the Champions Club or the Courtyard at 18.
In regard to youth admission, those 15 and under will have complimentary grounds access and FLEX Passes with a ticketed adult. In addition, active military or retired military and veterans can get free admission along with a guest by registering in advance. The Military Appreciation Program has already given its allotment of tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Payout for the 2023 John Deere Classic
The total purse for the Travelers Championship is set at $7.4 million and the winner will receive $1.3 million. In addition, the winner will receive 500 points toward the FedEx Cup standings.
John Deere Classic pairings
All times ET; MG: Marquee Group, FG: Featured Group; a is amateur
| Round 1: 1 tee | Round 2: 10 tee | Players |
| 7:45 a.m. | 1:10 p.m. | Troy Merritt, Jonas Blixt, Henrik Norlander |
| 7:56 a.m. | 1:21 p.m. | Cody Gribble, Brian Stuard, Kevin Yu |
| 8:07 a.m. | 1:32 p.m. | Stephan Jaeger, Carson Young, Harrison Endycott |
| 8:18 a.m. | 1:43 p.m. | Erik van Rooyen, Garrick Higgo, Jim Herman |
| 8:29 a.m. | 1:54 p.m. | Adam Svensson, Trey Mullinax, Brendon Todd |
| 8:40 a.m. | 2:05 p.m. | Ryan Brehm, Brian Gay, Brandt Snedeker |
| 8:51 a.m. | 2:16 p.m. | Chez Reavie, Andrew Landry, Lanto Griffin |
| 9:02 a.m. | 2:27 p.m. | Jimmy Walker, Nick Watney, Chad Collins |
| 9:13 a.m. | 2:38 p.m. | Nate Lashley, Peter Malnati, Hank Lebioda |
| 9:24 a.m. | 2:49 p.m. | Jason Dufner, Ryan Moore, Derek Ernst |
| 9:35 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. | Ricky Barnes, Andrew Novak, Zecheng Dou |
| 9:46 a.m. | 3:11 p.m. | Michael Gligic, Kevin Roy, Ross Steelman |
| 9:57 a.m. | 3:22 p.m. | Scott Harrington, Matti Schmid, Jay Giannetto |
| Round 1: 10 tee | Round 2: 1 tee | Players |
| 7:45 a.m. | 1:10 p.m. | Patrick Rodgers, Beau Hossler, Greyson Sigg |
| 7:56 a.m. | 1:21 p.m. | Ryan Palmer, Matt NeSmith, Justin Lower |
| 8:07 a.m. | 1:32 p.m. | Patton Kizzire, Kramer Hickok, Callum Tarren |
| 8:18 a.m. (FG) | 1:43 p.m. | Seamus Power, Adam Hadwin, Adam Schenk |
| 8:29 a.m. (FG) | 1:54 p.m. (FG) | Taylor Moore, Chris Kirk, Russell Henley |
| 8:40 a.m. (MG) | 2:05 p.m. (FG) | Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Denny McCarthy |
| 8:51 a.m. | 2:16 p.m. | Keith Mitchell, Russell Knox, Mark Hubbard |
| 9:02 a.m. | 2:27 p.m. | Chesson Hadley, Zac Blair, Matthias Schwab |
| 9:13 a.m. | 2:38 p.m. | James Hahn, Cameron Percy, Doc Redman |
| 9:24 a.m. | 2:49 p.m. | Kevin Chappell, Doug Ghim, Max MCGreevy |
| 9:35 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. | Austin Cook, Wesley Bryan, Ben Taylor |
| 9:46 a.m. | 3:11 p.m. | Tano Goya, Augusto Nunez, Marcus Byrd |
| 9:57 a.m. | 3:22 p.m. | Reid Martin, Kaito Onishi, Gordon Sargent (a) |
| Round 1: 1 tee | Round 2: 10 tee | Players |
| 1:10 p.m. | 7:45 a.m. | Kelly Kraft, Harry Higgs, Alex Smalley |
| 1:21 p.m. | 7:56 a.m. | Adam Long, Byeong Hun An, Davis Thompson |
| 1:32 p.m. | 8:07 a.m. | Christiaan Bezuidenhout, S.H. Kim, Tyson Aexander |
| 1:43 p.m. (FG) | 8:18 a.m. (FG) | J.T. Poston, Lucas Glover, Michael Kim |
| 1:54 p.m. (FG) | 8:29 a.m. (FG) | Nick Taylor, Emiliano Grillo, Sepp Straka |
| 2:05 p.m. | 8:40 a.m. (MG) | Nick Hardy, Cameron Young, Ludvig Aberg |
| 2:16 p.m. | 8:51 a.m. | Dylan Frittelli, Eric Cole, Taylor Montgomery |
| 2:27 p.m. | 9:02 a.m. | Ben Martin, Kevin Streelman, Sam Stevens |
| 2:38 p.m. | 9:13 a.m. | Aaron Baddeley, Jonathan Byrd, Austin Smotherman |
| 2:49 p.m. | 9:24 a.m. | David Lingmerth, Robby Shelton, Will Gordon |
| 3:00 p.m. | 9:35 a.m. | Kevin Tway, Ryan Armour, Kyle Stanley |
| 3:11 p.m. | 9:46 a.m. | Trevor Cone, Ryan Gerard, Michael Thorbjornsen (a) |
| 3:22 p.m. | 9:57 a.m. | Trevor Werbylo, Peter Kuest, Tommy Kuhl |
| Round 1: 10 tee | Round 2: 1 tee | Players |
| 1:10 p.m. | 7:45 a.m. | D.A. Points, William McGirt, Dylan Wu |
| 1:21 p.m. | 7:56 a.m. | Sung Kang, Geoff Ogilvy, Scott Brown |
| 1:32 p.m. | 8:07 a.m. | Grayson Murray, Derek Lamely, Paul Haley II |
| 1:43 p.m. | 8:18 a.m. | Nico Echavarria, Richy Werenski, Tyler Duncan |
| 1:54 p.m. | 8:29 a.m. | K.H. Lee, Chad Ramey, Martin Laird |
| 2:05 p.m. | 8:40 a.m. | Cameron Champ, Joel Dahmen, Robert Streb |
| 2:16 p.m. | 8:51 a.m. | Satoshi Kodaira, Sam Ryder, Vince Whaley |
| 2:27 p.m. | 9:02 a.m. | S.Y. Noh, Sean O’Hair, David Lipsky |
| 2:38 p.m. | 9:13 a.m. | Martin Trainer, Chris Stroud, Greg Chalmers |
| 2:49 p.m. | 9:24 a.m. | Scott Piercy, Brice Garnett, Joseph Bramlett |
| 3:00 p.m. | 9:35 a.m. | Kyle Westmoreland, Akshay Bhatia, Yuto Katsuragawa |
| 3:11 p.m. | 9:46 a.m. | MJ Daffue, Brent Grant, Andrew Larson (a) |
| 3:22 p.m. | 9:57 a.m. | Carl Yuan, Brandon Matthews, William Mouw |