The PGA TOUR is in Silvis, Illinois for the John Deere Classic and Steve Stricker comes into the event as the heavy favorite. He won here in 2009 by three strokes and again in 2010 by two strokes. A lot of the TOUR players are across the pond preparing for the British Open but some big names chose to stay behind and prepare in the U.S.
(Steve Stricker won the John Deere Classic in 2009 & 2010)
In 2011 Stricker has made the cut in all 11 starts on TOUR with four top 10's, five top 25's and a win at the Memorial Tournament. His stellar play has him ranked 5th in the Official World Golf Rankings (he is the top ranked American), 12th in the FedEx Cup Standings and 9th on the PGA TOUR Money List.
The field this week has a few big names including Jason Day. Day is the only other player this week who is ranked in the top 10 in the world (7th). Although he doesn't have a win in 2011, Day finished in second place at The Masters and The U.S. Open. He has made the cut in 11 of 13 events and has eight top 10 finishes. Excluding Stricker, six players in the field have TOUR victories in 2011. They are Johnathan Byrd, Mark Wilson (two wins), Jhonattan Vegas, D.A. Points, Michael Bradley, and David Toms. Johnathan Byrd (2007) and David Toms (1997) are both previous winners of this event.
Three Groups to Watch at The John Deere Classic
3. Todd Hamilton, John Daly & David Duval: When going through the list of tee times this one caught my eye. Maybe it's because all three of them have won the British Open and it's on my mind or maybe I want to watch because I want to see what happens next. Whatever the case is, I'll keep one eye on this group and see if any of them surprise us.
2. Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink & Jason Day: The theme of me wanting to see British Open champions continues here. Oosthuizen is The Open champion from 2010 and in 2009 the winner was Stewart Cink. I'm curious to see if they can focus on this week or if they are already looking ahead. As mentioned above, Day is having a great season as the top ranked Australian golfer. Having finished second in the U.S. Open and The Masters it's a question of when he will win in 2011 and not if.
1. Steve Stricker, David Toms & Mark Wilson: This group has combined for four wins in 2011. Although Wilson has two of them, they came early in the season and he seems to be cooling off a bit. David Toms is playing like a new man. The winner here in 1997 has a win this season and four other top 10 finishes. He is 7th in the FedEx Cup standings and 5th on the PGA TOUR money list. Stricker's accolades are listed above. He's a guy to watch any time he is in the field, let alone as the two time defending champion.
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