‘Mr. John Deere Classic’ among best bets in British Open tuneup

Cam Davis holed out a 50-foot sand shot for an eagle on the 17th hole and birdied 18 before earning his first PGA Tour win on the fifth playoff hole Sunday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Davis’ victory cost handicapper Wes Reynolds two possible winners, as Troy Merritt, a 90-1 long shot, and Joaquin Niemann, who went off at 24-1, lost in the playoff. Reynolds listed Merritt and Niemann as two of his best bets last week in the Review-Journal.

A co-host of VSiN’s “Long Shots” golf betting show, Reynolds will try to bounce back with a winner in the John Deere Classic, which tees off Thursday in Silvis, Illinois, in the final tuneup for next week’s British Open.

Here are his best bets, with comments on each:

Alex Noren, 30-1

“Noren finished tied for fourth at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and held the clubhouse lead for a while on Sunday. The Swede seems to be getting his confidence back, as he looks for his first main tour win since the Open de France in June 2018. Noren also likes the Bentgrass greens, as all 10 of his European Tour victories have come on this putting surface.”

Steve Stricker, 40-1

“No player is ‘Mr. John Deere Classic’ more than Steve Stricker. He has won the event three times (2009, 2010, 2011). Stricker elected to play here in lieu of defending his 2019 title at the U.S. Senior Open. He also comes in with a victory in his last start at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship two weeks ago.”

Jhonattan Vegas, 44-1

“Vegas is another player at his best when the scores are low, as evident from his previous PGA Tour wins at the Canadian Open and Bob Hope Classic (now known as The American Express). He has had good finishes here, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2014.”

Doc Redman, 45-1

“Redman was highly popular last week in an event in which he finished second in his debut in 2019. So, of course, he misses the cut. This looks like a good spot to buy on the drift, though.”

Patton Kizzire, 48-1

“Kizzire’s 64 in the final round Sunday matched the low round (with Alex Noren and Bubba Watson) of the day. He has four top 10s this season in 17 events and is always at his best in low-scoring events where a multitude of birdies are required. Kizzire ranks second in this field (behind tournament favorite Daniel Berger) for birdie average.

Kyle Stanley, 48-1

“Stanley’s short game always holds him back, and recent form indicates not much has changed. However, he has had success here, with a runner-up to Stricker in 2011. Everything else in his game looks on point.”

Beau Hossler, 70-1

“Hossler has three straight top-25 finishes, highlighted by a top 10 at the Travelers two weeks ago.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.