Glance: John Deere carrot - final spot at The Open
Field Level Media's Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.
PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Rocket Mortgage Classic (Cam Davis)
THIS WEEK: John Deere Classic, Silvis, Ill., July 8-11
Course: TPC Deere Run (Par 71, 7,286 yards)
Purse: $6.2M (Winner: $1.116M)
Defending Champion: Dylan Frittelli (2019)
FedEx Cup leader: Patrick Cantlay
HOW TO WATCH
TV: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
PGA Tour Live: Thursday-Friday, 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET (Featured Groups); Saturday-Sunday, 7:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3-6 p.m. (Featured Holes)
NOTES: This is the 50th playing of the event, which returns after being canceled in 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic. ... Three-time champion Steve Stricker (2009-11) is skipping the U.S. Senior Open to compete in Quad Cities this week. He is the last person to successfully defend a John Deere title. ... Fifteen players in the field have also qualified for The Open Championship. The final spot will go to a player in the top five this week who is not already qualified. ... Iowa native Zach Johnson is a member of the tournament's board of directors and will compete in the event for the 19th time. ... Sponsor exemptions include regional college graduates Michael Feagles (University of Illinois), David Perkins (Illinois State), Alex Schaake (University of Iowa) and Tripp Kinney (Iowa State). ... Paul Goydos holds the 18-hole scoring record with a 59 in the first round in 2010, while Michael Kim set the 72-hole record of 257 in 2018.
BEST BETS: Daniel Berger (+1100 at DraftKings) is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 16. He tied for seventh in his most recent start at the U.S. Open and has four top-20s in his past five starts to go with a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. ... Brian Harman (+1300) has three consecutive top-20s and eight in his past nine starts, including at T5 at the Travelers Championship. ... Sungjae Im (+1600) has been wildly inconsistent in 2021 but is coming off a T8 last week and posted a solid T26 here two years ago. ... Kevin Streelman (+2500) had a run of four consecutive top-20s snapped by a MC at the Travelers. He's still seeking his first win since 2014. ... Si Woo Kim (+3500) won the American Express earlier this year and has a pair of T9s since among his highly inconsistent results that includes two missed cuts and a withdrawal among his past six starts.
NEXT WEEK: The Open Championship, Sandwich, Kent, England; Barbasol Championship, Nicholasville, Ky.
LPGA Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Volunteers of America Classic (Jin Young Ko)
THIS WEEK: Marathon LPGA Classic, Sylvania, Ohio, July 8-11
Course: Highland Meadows Golf Club (Par 71, 6,555 yards)
Purse: $2M (Winner: $300,000)
Defending Champion: Danielle Kang
Race to the CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda
HOW TO WATCH
TV: Thursday-Friday, 9-11 p.m. ET (tape delay); Saturday-Sunday, 3-4 p.m. (Live, all times Golf Channel)
Streaming: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (All times NBC Sports app)
NOTES: The 144-player field will be cut to the top 70 and ties after 36 holes. ... Se Ri Pak holes the tournament scoring record of 23-under 261 set in 1998. Paula Creamer holds the 18-hole record of 60 set in the first round in 2008. ... Korda is the only multiple-event winner in 2021 and has three victories. She also leads the Team USA Solheim Cup standings with 570.50 points. She is followed by Danielle Kang (476.00), Ally Ewing (290.00), Lexi Thompson (260.50) and Jessica Korda (256.50).
NEXT WEEK: Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Midland, Mich.
Champions Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Dick's Sporting Goods Open (Cameron Beckman)
THIS WEEK: U.S. Senior Open Championship, Omaha, Neb., July 8-11
Course: Omaha Country Club (Par 70, 6,891 yards)
Purse: $4M (Winner: $720,000)
Defending Champion: Steve Stricker
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Jerry Kelly
HOW TO WATCH
TV: Thursday-Friday, 10-1 p.m. ET (Peacock), 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-4 p.m. (Peacock); 4-8 p.m. (Golf Channel)
NOTES: Stricker is not defending his title as he competes on the PGA Tour this week. ... Ernie Els is coming off a runner-up last week and finished fifth at the Senior Players. ... Kelly has six top-10 finishes in his past seven starts, including a win at the Family Insurance Championship. ... Champions rookie Alex Cejka has won two of the year's first three majors. ... Bernhard Langer owns the most Champions majors in history with 11.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: The Senior Open, Berkshire, England
--Field Level Media
