John Deere Classic 2026 FRL Tips: Three quick out the traps at Deere Run

With hot sunshine and a gentle breeze on the cards for round one of the John Deere Classic, we can expect to see a birdie-filled scramble for the lead at TPC Deere Run tomorrow.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is here with three picks he fancies to take advantage in his John Deere Classic 2026 FRL Betting Tips, which you can check out below...

You can read Jamie's full John Deere Classic Preview here..

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Beginning at 6.40am, the earliest starters will be welcomed by warm 25°C temperatures and mild winds of around 8mph, gusting at up to 13mph. The heat rises steadily throughout the day, reaching highs of 33°C in the afternoon, while the breeze will also gradually stiffen as the round progresses, blowing at a constant 12mph for the second wave, with gusts approaching 20mph.

Although that shouldn’t have a major impact at a well-sheltered course, the cooler, calmer conditions enjoyed by the morning tee-times could provide a small advantage. With that, I’ve selected three players who can get off to a fast start from that side of the draw.

0.75 pts Tom Hoge each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 70/1

Start time: 8.08am

Having backed Tom Hoge in this market on his last two starts, I’m hoping it’s a case of third time lucky in Illinois. He flew out of the blocks at the Travelers Championship last week before stalling on the back nine, and with the putter improving to match the quality of his iron play, he looks close to putting it all together.

Hoge made an encouraging start to the season, finishing 8^th at The AmEx and 14^th at Pebble Beach. It’s been a bit of a struggle since, but he did finish a promising 26^th at the PGA Championship, before securing his first top-10 of the season at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, shooting a 10-under 62 in round two on his way to finishing 6^th.

He putted well on each of those appearances, and after a couple of underwhelming displays, he returned to form on the greens at TPC River Highlands.

Going four-under thru six holes, he burst into the lead in round one there but didn’t make another birdie for the rest of the day. That said, rounds of 67-70-65-68 saw him record a solid 38^th-place finish, and with his irons remaining a strength – an area in which he ranks 12^th in this field in 2026 – his game doesn’t look too far away.

Hoge hasn’t made the cut in four previous starts at the John Deere Classic, though he hasn’t played here in seven years. He has become a far better golfer since then, has several top-five finishes at comp courses – 3^rd at the Travelers Championship and 4^th at the 3M Open – and as someone who ranks inside the top 20 in round one performance this season, he’s worth another shot in this market.

0.75 pts Kevin Roy each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 80/1

Start time: 7.46am

Kevin Roy’s day-one form was as strong as anyone’s in the opening months of the season, a habit I’m hoping he can rediscover this week. He was an excellent 3^rd here 12 months ago and, producing plenty of low rounds in recent starts, he’s capable of posting a number on Thursday.

Three top-25s in five appearances represented a sound start to the season for Roy. Whilst he’s not been quite as consistent since then, he did record his best result of the campaign five outings ago, finishing 3^rd at the Myrtle Beach Classic. Meanwhile, he also had his scoring boots on in Canada, firing a six-under 64 on day two – tying for the fourth-best round of the week.

He’s a decent driver, though it’s with the putter he’s excelling this season, ranking 44^th on tour. In addition, he ranks 15^th in round one scoring average, beginning the year by sharing the first-round lead at the Sony Open before recording further top-10s at the Phoenix Open, Cognizant Classic and Texas Open.

Roy was encouraging on his John Deere Classic debut in 2023, shooting an eight-under 63 in round two on his way to finishing 31^st. He then fired a pair of 65s during his 3^rd-place finish last year and should relish returning to the venue tomorrow.

0.75 pts Brian Campbell each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 100/1

Start time: 7.24am

To finish, I’m taking a chance on Brian Campbell to make the best possible start to his title defence at TPC Deere Run. He’s lacking in form, but there was enough evidence at the Travelers Championship that he could just spark into life around a clearly suitable layout.

Campbell has missed the cut in nine of his 18 outings in 2026, recording his solo top-25 finish at The Masters. He made a strong start last week, opening with a two-under 68 and backed it up with a 63 – fuelled by some excellent iron play – to enter the weekend in 8^th place. Although a disappointing weekend saw him slip to 47^th, he continued to strike his irons well, which should give him the confidence to build on that effort.

The University of Illinois graduate missed the cut on his John Deere debut in 2015 but immediately put that right, producing four rounds in the 60s to finish 12^th on his second visit in 2017.

It was eight years before Campbell had another chance at the event in 2025 and he looked just as comfortable third time around. An opening 65 saw him sit 8^th after round one and he never dropped out of the top 10 thereafter, following with a 66, 68 and 67 to get into a playoff and win his second event of the year.

That makes it eight straight rounds in the 60s and, alongside the promise of last week’s display, he makes a compelling case at this price.

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