2026 John Deere Classic pool picks: build for birdies at TPC Deere Run

The John Deere Classic starts July 2, 2026, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. ESPN lists the course as a par 71 at 7,289 yards, and the PGA TOUR field page was live when checked Monday morning. Golf Pools Pro's live tournament field showed 141 players, so this is a normal cut week rather than a small no-cut squeeze.

TPC Deere Run usually turns into a scoring week. Brian Campbell won in 2025, Davis Thompson won in 2024 at 28 under, and Sepp Straka won in 2023 at 21 under. That does not mean you ignore cut safety, but it does mean a pool entry needs players who can stack birdies instead of just survive.

The pool problem is popularity. Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Tom Kim, and Sungjae Im will be familiar clicks for casual entrants. The useful build is a strong top half, then a few players who fit a birdie-friendly course without turning the last four slots into guesses.

Ben Griffin and Chris Gotterup are the first two names I would consider as true anchors. Griffin gives the card a steadier all-around profile, while Gotterup brings the kind of scoring ceiling that matters at the John Deere. In a large pool, using both is defensible because this field does not have the usual major-championship top shelf.

J.T. Poston is the clean course-history anchor. He won here in 2022 and was listed near the top of the current field. A lot of entrants will remember that, but it is still useful information at a course that has rewarded repeat comfort. He is not a sneaky pick. He is a sensible one.

Jacob Bridgeman, Keegan Bradley, Tom Kim, and Sungjae Im are the next anchor group for me. Bridgeman keeps showing up in the top tier of the field feed, Bradley adds proven week-to-week quality, and Tom Kim or Sungjae Im can steady a card if you already used a more aggressive first pick.

Daniel Berger, Andrew Novak, Keith Mitchell, Max Greyserman, and Eric Cole are the middle tier I like most. None of them needs to carry the whole entry, but each can count in a best-score format if the week turns into the usual Deere Run birdie race. This is the group that keeps the card from being only famous names.

Michael Kim deserves a look because he has actually won this tournament, and his name will not feel as automatic as Spieth, Fowler, or Bradley. Nico Echavarria, Pierceson Coody, Michael Brennan, Ryo Hisatsune, Johnny Keefer, and Michael Thorbjornsen fit the same pool job: one or two lower-attention names who can separate you if the anchors do their part.

If you want steadier back-half picks, Matt Wallace, Patrick Rodgers, Andrew Putnam, Mac Meissner, and Rico Hoey are usable. I would not jam all of them into one entry, but they make more sense than reaching for a player you cannot explain by Thursday morning.

Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler are the two obvious nervous clicks. Both can absolutely make this look silly, and both have the name value to be popular. The issue is pool construction. If half your entry is built from names people remember first, you may end up duplicated without actually lowering your risk.

Brian Campbell is the defending champion, and that alone will get him picked. He belongs in the conversation, but I would not use the trophy defense as the only reason to make him a core pick. Davis Thompson and Sepp Straka are recent champions too, but neither is in this field, which is a reminder not to build from last year's leaderboard without checking who is actually playing.

Aldrich Potgieter, Taylor Pendrith, Tony Finau, Max Homa, Blades Brown, and Jackson Koivun are format calls. There is talent and story value in that group, but the range of outcomes is wider. Use one if your pool is large and duplicated entries are a problem. Do not let the final third of the card become all volatility.

For a normal Golf Pools Pro Open Picks pool with 12 picks and the best eight counting, I would start with three or four anchors from Ben Griffin, Chris Gotterup, J.T. Poston, Jacob Bridgeman, Keegan Bradley, Tom Kim, and Sungjae Im. That gives the entry enough strength before you start trying to be different.

Then add four or five middle names from Daniel Berger, Andrew Novak, Keith Mitchell, Max Greyserman, Eric Cole, Michael Kim, Nico Echavarria, Pierceson Coody, Michael Brennan, Matt Wallace, Patrick Rodgers, Andrew Putnam, Mac Meissner, and Rico Hoey. Use the last two or three slots based on pool size. Small pool? Keep the floor. Large pool? Add one of Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Ryo Hisatsune, Johnny Keefer, Michael Thorbjornsen, Aldrich Potgieter, Taylor Pendrith, Denny McCarthy, Lucas Glover, Blades Brown, or Jackson Koivun as a real separator.

Pool hosts should open entries early this week. The event starts Thursday, the field is posted, and a 140-plus player week gives entrants enough names to overthink. Set the pick deadline before the first tee time, share the invite link, and make sure the rules are visible before players submit picks.

If you run Tiered Picks or Clubhouse Chaos, review the groups once the field is fresh. A John Deere field can have a lot of similar middle-tier names, so clean groups matter. For Open Picks, remind entrants that a good entry is not just the first 12 names they recognize.

Entrants should do one field check before lock. Withdrawals can change the bottom of a pool card quickly, and TPC Deere Run does not give much room to carry a dead pick. Build around players who can score, then use the last few picks for pool-size strategy instead of trying to be unique everywhere.