The second round of the 2026 John Deere Classic gets underway on Friday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, IL.
Zac Blair and Lucas Glover co-lead after the first round at 8-under par, holding a one stroke lead over the rest of the field. However, the tournament remains wide open with three days remaining.
Here are my picks and John Deere Classic Round 2 best bets.
John Deere Classic Round 2 Best Bets
Michael Kim Top-40 (-108 at DraftKings)
Now is the time to buy low on Michael Kim. He enters Friday T101 at one-over par, but he was part of the afternoon wave that averaged 1.33 strokes worse than the morning wave.
The good news for Kim is that the waves flip on Friday, allowing him to shoot up the leaderboard and make the cut.
TPC Deere Run is one of the easier courses on the PGA Tour schedule, featuring wide fairways and large greens. Because of its accessibility, two key factors stand out: wedge play and putting.
Last year, 12.9% of approach shots came from the 100-125-yard range, well above the PGA Tour average. Meanwhile, Brian Campbell and Emiliano Grillo, who battled in a playoff, both finished inside the top nine in the field in strokes gained: putting.
No other strokes-gained category showed a similar trend.
This setup makes Kim a strong bounce-back candidate. He is an excellent wedge and iron player, ranking in the 76th percentile in strokes gained: approach and in the 85th percentile in strokes gained: approach from 100-150 yards.
Kim is an even stronger putter, ranking in the 92nd percentile on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting.
It is therefore not surprising that he won here in 2018.
J.T. Poston Top-20 (+134 at DraftKings)
Another golfer worth targeting in the props market is J.T. Poston. Producing a much stronger opening round, Poston enters Friday T37 at 3-under par.
At +134, it's worth backing Poston to continue to improve as the week progresses.
Like Kim, Poston fits this course well.
Entering this week, he ranks in the 79th percentile on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach and in the 67th percentile in strokes gained: approach from 100-150 yards. As noted, the ease of hitting greens turns this week into a putting contest.
Poston has proven capable on the greens, ranking in the 80th percentile on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting. He also enters in strong form, having won the Memorial Tournament and finishing T4 at the U.S. Open.
