If Cody Williams hadn’t been off last week, I’m sure he would have picked Viktor Hovland to win. As it stands, the SI Golf betting panel has now gone two weeks without an outright or first-round lead cash. But like the John Deere Classic offers a great launching pad to greatness for young players, so too does it offer the same for bettors. Let’s get back on track. The SI Golf betting panel features SI Betting insider Iain MacMillan, Inside Sports Network Tap in Birdie podcast host Brian Kirschner, Betting analyst Brad Thomas, The Model Maniac Byron Lindeque, FanSided content director Cody Williams and, yours truly, Minute Media VP of Betting Content Brian Giuffra. Each Wednesday, we post our betting picks for outright and longshot winners, first-round leader, our favorite prop bet and a final score prediction.While the John Deere isn’t the deepest field, it still has plenty of star power and a rich history. Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman and Payne Stewart all won their first PGA Tour events here. For 2023 winner Sepp Straka, it was his second win, but a prelude to further wins.This year, Jackson Koivun makes his professional debut after earning co-low Amateur honors at the U.S. Open. He is a stunning +2000 at FanDuel and the third betting favorite on the board. There are plenty of other big names in the field, including Spieth, who, if you can believe it, is far behind Koivun in the odds at +3300. Ben Griffin is the favorite at +1500. TPC Deere Run, as the past winners mentioned shows, doesn’t favor a bomber, or an accurate player, or a short-game specialist, or even a red-hot putter. You can be any of those things and win here. Or you can be like Brian Campbell last year and lose over a stroke per round off the tee and still win. It’s anyone’s tournament. Let’s get into our picks, with explanations below the the graphic. John Deere betting picks. | Sports IllustratedOutrightIain MacMillan: Denny McCarthy +6300 (DraftKings)Few golfers in the field this week have had as much consistent success at this event as Denny McCarthy. He has posted four straight finishes of T11 or better here. He doesn't come into this event in great form, having not posted a top 20 finish since the Texas Children's Houston Open in March, but it's hard to look past his recent history at this course. At 63-1, he's worth a bet to find his form this week and take advantage of a weaker field. Brian Kirschner: Andrew Novak +5000 (DraftKings)Although he has not had the best run of form lately, I still think that this is a great course fit for Andrew Novak. Novak is accurate OTT and a great Iron player. Sadly, the flatstick has been a problem for him this year. The good news is that he has gained over 4 strokes here in two of his starts. Novak is someone I believe that can win and contend late on Sunday this week.Brad Thomas: Ben Griffin +1500 (FanDuel)I’m backing the chalk with Ben Griffin because he has shown signs that he’s getting close to the form he had last year. He’s finished T3, missed the cut at Muirfield, then followed that up with a T17 and T10 in his last four events. He’s been gaining on approach, and the putter was hot at the Travelers. He’s also played this tournament well before. Yes, he missed the cut last year, but he had a T5 here in 2024. Ben Griffin is usually a golfer who gets undervalued in the market, so when he is the betting favorite, it tells me he's going to contend.Byron Lindeque: Tom Kim +3500 (DraftKings)Cody Williams: Tom Kim +3500 (DraftKings)I’m ready to ride the lightning again. Tom Kim’s ball-striking sets him up beautifully for TPC Deere Run. He’s second in SG: approach over the last 24 rounds and Top 35 in around the green as well, while also ranking fifth in Good Drive Percentage. The issue has been the putting, but this course has relatively benign greens that should mitigate some of that. With that ball-striking profile, I can’t look away from Kim. Brian Giuffra: Michael Brennan +5300 (DraftKings) Brennan, if he has even half a decent putting performance this week, should be in contention. He’s one of the best (and longest) drivers on Tour and his approach game has been trending in a positive direction. The last time he putted well, he was T6 at the Charles Schwab. He’s won before on the PGA Tour (a fall series event) and can spike. This course fit seems solid. LongshotIain MacMillan: Lucas Glover +17500 (FanDuel)Lucas Glover won the John Deere Classic in 2021 and has posted two top 10 finishes since, including a fifth-place finish here last year. He comes into this week ranking 18th in proximity on approach shots from 125-150 yards away, and then seventh in proximity shots from 125 yards and less. He's once again a great course fit for TPC Deere Run, so he's worth a sprinkle as a long shot at 175-1. Brian Kirschner: Zach Bauchou +9200 (DraftKings)Zach was a popular selection in this portion of the panel in his last start in Canada and although he didn’t play well, I see no reason to hop off. Zach had elite approach and driver play for a consistent run and just had a very bad week ARG. I think that he is due to bounce back and get his first tour win this week.Brad Thomas: Blades Brown +6000 (DraftKings)I’m going to bet Blades Brown into the sun at any birdie fest. He ranks second in the field in birdie or better percentage, and the kid clearly has a ton of game. There are still moments in his rounds where things can get away from him, but that is also baked into the number. At 60-to-1, I think there is more than enough upside to take a shot.Byron Lindeque: AJ Ewart +140000 (DraftKings)Cody Williams: John Keefer +6600 (BetMGM)Another guy who is ball-striking his face off, Keefer’s around-the-green and overall short game numbers aren’t pretty — but he does rank fourth in the field in SG: Approach over the last 24 rounds and 18th in Good Drive Percentage. Not to mention, he’s also been dialed with his short approaches, which will come into play this week. In a wide-open field, the ball-striking is enough for me to give him a shot. Brian Giuffra: Blades Brown +6000 (BetMGM) While Koivun is getting the buzz, Brown could be the young star to emerge victorious this week. Now in his second year as a pro, the 19-year-old has proven he can go low, earning a T14 at 18-under in his most recent PGA Tour event, the Byron Nelson. He was also 3rd at the Puerto Rico Open at 14-under. He makes over four birdies per round. He bombs the ball off the tee and is accurate. His approach game is solid. His problem has been scrambling. At this price, I’m willing to take a swing on a guy who’s long been on my radar to win at an event like this one. First-Round LeaderIain MacMillan: Taylor Moore +8000 (FanDuel)Taylor Moore leads the entire field this week in total true strokes gained in opening rounds of tournaments over the past six months at +2.08, which is +0.42 more than any other golfer teeing it up this week. This is also his third time competing at the John Deere Classic. He finished T24 here in 2022.Brian Kirschner: Max Homa +6000 (FanDuel)It is well known that Max has not been at the peak of his powers since 2023, but I think this week could be a nice bounce back for him. Max has quietly finished T22 and T20 in his last two starts on Tour and is well rested over the past couple of weeks. He finished T5 at this event last year and I see no reason why he cannot get off to a hot start this week.Brad Thomas: Andrew Novak +6000 (TheScore)Did we see how hot Novak was last Sunday? Huge momentum heading into a course where he can get scorching hot. Byron Lindeque: Andrew Putnam +9000 (DraftKings)Cody Williams: Jackson Koivun +4200 (DraftKings)I’ve got to have a little something on Koivun as he makes his professional debut on the PGA Tour. The talent with the youngster is absolutely immense, and he looks the part of a player who is going to make waves sooner rather than later on the PGA Tour. While I don’t fully believe he can show up and win immediately, some fireworks immediately out of the gate (this week especially) would make for a fun storyline.Brian Giuffra: Aldrich Potgieter +5500 (FanDuel) Another young gun with prodigious power, Potgieter already has a win on his resume. While I’m not backing him to earn his second, I could see him getting off to a fast start. He was T8 at the Canadian Open thanks to a hot putter. I’m hoping that keeps going because his power off the tee should put plenty of wedges in his hands on this course. He tends to get off to fast starts before fading on the weekend. Let’s hope the first part (at least) continues this week. Prop BetIain MacMillan: JT Poston Top 10 +280 (FanDuel)Not only did JT Poston win this event in 2022, but he won on the PGA Tour just a few short weeks ago, capturing the Memorial Tournament. He followed that up with a T4 finish at the U.S. Open. Surely he can turn that into a top 10 finish at the John Deere Classic with a less-than-stellar field.Brian Kirschner: Daniel Berger +270 Top 20 (DraftKings)I think Berger is trending in the right direction and I really like him to play well this week. Berger has been hitting the ball great recently, but is struggling with the putter at the moment. However, we have seen many poor putters flip their luck at TPC Deere Run. I expect the same for Berger this week.Brad Thomas: Tom Kim Top 20 incl. ties (+150)His game is trending. If his putter gets hot, he can win. He has outright upside as well. Byron Lindeque: Emiliano Grillo Top 20 incl ties +270 (DraftKings)Cody Williams: Blades Brown Top 20 incl. ties +250 (BetMGM)It seems I’m not the only one who likes Blades Brown this week. He should be able to club down and still attack off the tee, and his approach play has been stellar. He’s 11th in strokes-gained there, as well as 14th in SG: Around the green and Top 20 in putting on bentgrass. He has everything working for him right now, and seems quite obviously like someone who’ll be around the leaderboard all week.Brian Giuffra: Michael Thorbjornsen Top 20 +185 (FanDuel) Remember when Thor almost won the Waste Management and then was in contention at the Players before a total eject on Sunday? Good times. After that T3 at the Waste Management, he’s had two Top 20s in 13 events since. Not great! In his three appearances here, he has a T17, T2 and T21. Can he rediscover the form that had some people betting him in the outright market a few months ago? I’m betting he does. Winning ScoreIain MacMillan: -24Brian Kirschner: -20Brad Thomas: -26Byron Lindeque: -27Cody Williams: -23Brian Giuffra: -21Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow