Model fades Griffin as 2026 John Deere Classic favorite
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- The 2026 John Deere Classic tees off Thursday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., without Scottie Scheffler, who fell to Victor Hovland in a Monday playoff at the Travelers Championship.
- Ben Griffin is the FanDuel favorite at +1500, followed by Chris Gotterup (+1600), with Jordan Spieth at +3300 and Rickie Fowler at +4000 rounding out the notable names in the field.
- SportsLine's model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure and powered by 10,000 simulations per event, has nailed 17 majors — including the 2026 Masters (its fifth straight) plus last year's PGA Championship and Open Championship.
- Griffin is the model's biggest fade: projected to finish outside the top 5 despite four top-10s in the past two months (two top-3s) and a premium +1500 price tag.
- Pierceson Coody (+3500) surfaces as a surprise top contender on the projected leaderboard, backed by a T2 at the Farmers Insurance Open this season and a string of top-25 finishes through spring including the U.S. Open.
- Coody missed the cut at last year's John Deere Classic after firing a first-round 79, the lone blemish across six career rounds at TPC Deere Run — the other five all at 70 or lower.
- The model is also targeting a longshot priced around 40-1, with full picks gated behind SportsLine's paywall.
Why it matters: The model's fade on Griffin directly contradicts the market — he's the board favorite at +1500 with four top-10s in two months, yet the projection slots him outside the top 5. With Scheffler absent, the betting edge sits where FanDuel's board and the model's projected leaderboard diverge most: Coody at +3500 and the unnamed ~40-1 longshot.
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