Well, last week turned out to be frustrating and fantastic in equal measure.
Scheffler just lost out in a playoff to deny us a double-winning week, as Baz also tipped KPMG Women's PGA Championship winner Haeran Ryu on the Golf Monthly Tour Issue podcast - exclusively for the listeners.
You can watch this week's episode below, with Baz and the expert betting panel sharing their analysis and opinion on the upcoming tour action as well as their top tips.
This week, attention turns to the John Deere Classic and an interesting field headlined by Jordan Spieth.
With plenty of value throughout the board, Baz has once again crunched the numbers and followed the trends to pick three selections at TPC Deere Run...
John Deere Classic 2026 Betting Tips
Bazza's Best Bets
Top Tip: Chris Gotterup To Win @ BetMGM
Chris Gotterup started 2026 with two wins, a top-10 and two top-20s in his first eight starts, but you could argue he has gone off the boil a little in the last couple of months. Just one top-10 in his last seven starts doesn’t tell the full story, however, and I believe this a great opportunity for him to get back on track.
Gotterup ranks 26th on the PGA Tour for birdie or better percentage, but he also has already shot 65 or better on 10 different occasions this season. We know he can go low, he has the length to dismantle this course (as long as he finds the fairway) and he is a great putter on L93 Bentgrass surfaces.
The 4-time PGA Tour winner already has a 4th place finish in this event and a 10th place finish at the correlating TPC Twin Cities - so I fancy him to contend this week.
Next Best Tip: Pierceson Coody To Win @ BetMGM
Pierceson Coody was on the cusp of winning a first PGA Tour title at the start of this season, finishing second at the Farmers Insurance Open and 10th the following week in Phoenix, but after a solid T22 finish at the US Open I believe he could be about to hit form again.
Coody has modest form at TPC Deere Run, with a T30 finish in his first of two PGA Tour appearances, but his correlating course form points to improvements at the John Deere Classic.
He was 3rd at the 3M Open last year and T18 at the American Express in 2026, both of which often descend into similar birdie-fest style shootouts.
The greens at TPC Twin Cities and TPC Summerlin are very similar to those at TPC Deere Run, so it was encouraging to see him rank 2nd for SG: Putting at the last edition of the Shriners and 14th last season in the same measure at the 3M Open.
Value Tip: Ben Kohles To Win @ BetMGM
This pick might seem a little left field, but stick with me. Kohles has been playing some great golf on the Korn Ferry Tour and when he has stepped up to the PGA Tour recently he has certainly caught my eye.
A T29 at the RBC Canadian Open came through a very strong and consistent performance, but he then followed that up with a T23 finish at the US Open.
His stats this season are also seriously impressive on the KFT, ranking 1st for SG: Tee To Green, 2nd for SG: Approach, 2nd for driving accuracy and 6th for bogey avoidance.
That’s the perfect profile for TPC Deere Run, where he has shot a 65 and a 66 in his last two appearances, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a run at a big price.
Golf Monthly Betting Panel Picks
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US), 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ only.
Please Gamble Responsibly. See BetMGM.com for Terms. First Bet Offer for new customers only (if applicable).
Subject to eligibility requirements. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. This promotional offer is not available in DC, Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico.
Pick One: Jacob Bridgeman To Win @ BetMGM
Although the American has struggled for form a little since his Genesis Invitational win, Bridgeman has produced some good results recently, highlighted by a T11th at the RBC Canadian Open and T39th at the US Open.
These events possessed much stronger fields, whereas the John Deere Classic doesn’t. What’s more, Bridgeman finished T5th in this event last year, carding four rounds in the 60s, indicating to me good course form.
Pick Two: Rico Hoey To Win @ BetMGM
Not to jinx myself but, whenever I’ve backed Hoey, he’s played well, so I’m hoping this week is the same on a course that suits his game nicely.
Finishing T11th last year, with four rounds in the 60s, Hoey is excellent tee-to-green so, if he can get the putter firing, I expect another good performance. He may have missed the cut in Canada, but he had back-to-back top 20s in the two starts prior.
Pick One: Ben Griffin To Win @ BetMGM
Ben Griffin is one of the standout names in this undoubted future Challenger Series event, and he ticks all of the boxes I like to see around TPC Deere Run.
He's a strong driver of the ball with a usually dynamite short game, and making birdies will be hugely important this week. Griffin is also playing his third week in a row, which I consider to be the sweet spot for being tuned up but still well-rested.
He's finished T17th and T10th most recently, so he's in good form. I like what I see from a typically safe bet at any PGA Tour event.
Pick Two: Tom Kim To Win @ BetMGM
This feels like a pretty big risk given his year as a whole, but everything I saw from Tom Kim at the US Open made me want to believe the South Korean might be rediscovering some form at a great time.
Kim has gained strokes in each of his three most recent starts on the greens and in terms of approach play, too, so he could easily continue that upwards trajectory and rediscover some more form in a slightly weaker field than usual.
Although he missed the cut here last year, he was all over the place with driver in hand. Those issues seem to have been resolved, so I'm optimistic Kim can right those wrongs and feature on the first page of the leaderboard.
Golf Monthly Betting Panel Tipping Record
Player |
Event |
Price |
GM Staff Member |
Richard Mansell |
Porsche Singapore Classic 2025 |
+6000 |
Matt Cradock |
Sami Valimaki |
RSM Classic 2025 |
+5500 |
Jonny Leighfield |
Patrick Reed |
Dubai Desert Classic 2026 |
+4000 |
Elliott Heath |
Cameron Young |
Players Championship 2026 |
+3500 |
Baz Plummer |
Eugenio Chacarra |
Hero Indian Open 2025 |
+3500 |
Elliott Heath |
Sergio Garcia |
LIV Golf Hong Kong 2025 |
+2200 |
Jonny Leighfield |
Ludvig Aberg |
Genesis Invitational 2025 |
+2200 |
Matt Cradock |
Laurie Canter |
Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship 2025 |
+2200 |
Jonny Leighfield/Matt Cradock |
Haeran Ryu |
KPMG Women's PGA Championship |
+2000 |
Baz Plummer |
Matt Fitzpatrick |
DP World Tour Championship 2025 |
+1600 |
Matt Cradock |
Matt Fitzpatrick |
Valspar Championship 2026 |
+1400 |
Jonny Leighfield |
David Puig |
BMW Australian PGA Championship 2025 |
+1400 |
Jonny Leighfield |
Cameron Young |
Cadillac Championship 2026 |
+1400 |
Baz Plummer/Jonny Leighfield/Elliott Heath |
Tommy Fleetwood |
Tour Championship 2025 |
+1200 |
Jonny Leighfield |
Ben Griffin |
World Wide Technology Championship 2025 |
+1200 |
Baz Plummer/Jonny Leighfield |
Joaquin Niemann |
LIV Golf UK 2025 |
+900 |
Matt Cradock |
Tyrrell Hatton |
Hero Dubai Desert Classic 2025 |
+900 |
Jonny Leighfield |
Joaquin Niemann |
LIV Golf Virginia 2025 |
+750 |
Jonny Leighfield |
Rory McIlroy |
The Masters 2025 |
+650 |
Baz Plummer |
Tommy Fleetwood |
DP World India Championship 2025 |
+650 |
Baz Plummer/Jonny Leighfield |
Scottie Scheffler |
PGA Championship 2025 |
+400 |
Matt Cradock/Elliott Heath |
Rory McIlroy |
Amgen Irish Open 2025 |
+400 |
Jonny Leighfield |
