The PGA Tour will head to TPC Deere Run this week to play the 2022 John Deere Classic.
The field leaves much to be desired, but that doesn't mean there isn't value to be had in the first-round leader market.
The course usually plays relatively easy, meaning golfers will have to go low in order to cash a first-round leader ticket. All of the first-round leaders in the past 10 years have posted scores between -7 (64) and -10 (61).
When looking at past first-round leaders’ starting times at TPC Deere Run, there have been plenty of first-round leaders from both the morning and afternoon tee times. There have been eight leaders or co-leaders who have started in the morning and nine leaders or co-leaders who have started in the afternoon.
Therefore, there doesn't seem to be any clear-cut tee time advantage, but as usual, the weather should be monitored.
2022 John Deere Classic First-Round Leader Bets
Scott Stallings (+4500)
Scott Stallings proved last weekend just how capable he is of going low. He finished his Travelers Championship week by firing a 7-under 63 in some of the most difficult conditions of the week. He also shot a 64 on Friday, emphasizing the type of form he's in.
Stallings gained 7.2 strokes on approach for the week, which ranked third in the field. If the 37-year-old brings that type of iron game to TPC Deere Run, the field could be in big trouble.
Round 1 Tee Time: 7:07 a.m. CT
Cameron Davis (+5500)
We had Cameron Davis last week as a first-round leader bet at the Travelers Championship, and he looked like he was going to get it done for much of the day before faltering late in his round.
In a weak field, I don't see any reason not to give him another shot this week.
The Australian started his week with a 65-66, proving his propensity to go low at any given time. He followed those rounds up with 73-74 on the weekend, which isn't a surprise due to the boom-or-bust nature of his game.
Davis has done a lot of his best work in both easy scoring conditions and on Bentgrass greens, which makes TPC Deere Run an ideal track for him to put it all together.
Round 1 Tee Time: 7:18 a.m. CT
Chesson Hadley (+10000)
This state could certainly end up backfiring, but I'm high on Chesson Hadley's chances overall this week.
His fifth-place finish last week at the Travelers Championship was his best finish in more than a year, and I believe he will build off of that momentum this week.
The 34-year-old gained 6.3 strokes with the putter, which I believe is a good sign for a first-round leader bet. Of his 6.3 strokes gained with the putter, 4.4 happened over the weekend, which tells me there's a solid chance he can stay in rhythm for the first round of the John Deere Classic.
Last year, Chesson was the co-leader after one round with Sebastian Munoz after firing a round of 8-under 63 on Thursday.
I do believe Hadley can win this even,t but seeing as he hasn't won a TOUR event in over nine years, it's more likely that he captures the first-round lead.
Round 1 Tee Time: 7:07 a.m. CT
