Defending Champ Stricker Squares Off with Ex-Masters King – Golf Betting Odds

Golf bettors love to analyze head-to-head matchups between strong players, and in the John Deere Classic, starting Thursday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, IL, Steve Stricker, the defending champion in the event, squares off against Zach Johnson, the former Masters champion who was among a group of three who were right behind him in 2009. Stricker is the +1200 favorite to win the tourney, and is a -135 betting favorite in this head-to-head matchup. Johnson, the underdog, is priced at +105. Both of these players can also be seen next week at the British Open at St. Andrews.

PGA Golf Betting

John Deere Classic
TPC Deere Run – Silvis, IL
July 8-11

TV Schedule

• First Round – Thursday, July 8 – The Golf Channel 3-6pm EST
• Second Round – Friday, July 9 – The Golf Channel 3-6pm EST
• Third Round – Saturday, July 10 – CBS, 3-6pm EST
• Final Round – Sunday, July 11 – CBS, 3-6pm EST

The tournament betting matchup we have before us offers two of the top finishers from last year’s John Deere Classic. Of course, Stricker is the defending champion, while Johnson tied for second place with Brandt Snedeker, who is out of this event, and Brett Quigley.

Tournament Betting Matchup
STEVE STRICKER  -135
ZACH JOHNSON  +105

Stricker is currently ranked 4th in the world in the Official World Golf Rankings, That puts him ahead of the likes of Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, etc. Stricker has a win earlier this year, at the Northern Trust Open, which gave him a sharp start of T10 (SBS Championship), 3rd (Sony Open) and first. In his last five tournaments, he has gone T52, T30, T38, T17 and T58, which may not give a lot of people confidence coming into this event. He is ranked 124th on the tour in terms of driving distance, which is not necessarily something that hurts him at Deere Run. Keep in mind, however, that Stricker has the longest drive on the PGA Tour this season, as he hit a 424-yarder at the SBS. Last year he was the best bet for sure, as he really tore up the course at Silvis, finishing 20 under-par to outdistance Johnson and the two others by three strokes. he shot an opening round 71 to look rather ordinary, but then shot an extraordinary 61 in the second round to tie the course record. He drives the ball very accurately, which helps him, obviously. The momentum that he DOESN’T carry into this week is the only thing that gives us pause.

Johnson has a little more in the way of momentum going for him right now. Less than six weeks ago he won at Colonial with four rounds at 66 or lower. At the St. Jude Classic he tied for 12th, with only one round over 69. Of course, there was a rough ride at the links in Pebble Beach, as he went 77-78-79 the last three rounds to become a non-factor. Johnson’s John Deere experience last year was a pleasant one that might have put him on top in other years. He shot 69-68-64-66, coming on obviously in those last two rounds. This came about seven weeks after his win in the Texas Open. The 2007 Masters champion, like Stricker, is not a big hitter (ranked 129th in distance), but it’s not going to be the kind of thing that is going to penalize all that much, as long as he can control his golf ball. In that category, Johnson comes through nicely, as he hits 70% of fairways and then, when he gets to the green, ranks among the top 40 in birdies and putting average. I think he does enough to deserve a play as the betting underdog here.

JAY’S BETTING PLAY:  JOHNSON (+105) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)