The PGA Tour stops by Quad City for the second event of his final stretch before the FedEx Cup playoff. The John Deere Classic field can’t be termed ‘loaded’. Only seven players from the top 40 in the world ranking are teeing off at the TPC Deere Run. So, there is a likely chance that we will see a first-time winner of this season by Sunday. 

Patrick Cantlay was our top pick this week. But the eight-time PGA Tour winner pulled out with an unspecified injury. In his absence, here are our top picks for the $8 million purse event. 

Jordan Spieth

The former Masters champion is landing in Quad City after almost a decade. But what a sharp contrast it makes! Jordan Spieth has been on a horrendous run this year, made worse by his recurring wrist injury. His last top-10 came at the Valero Texas Open. Nevertheless, for the world’s 32nd-best player, TPC Deere Run might be a venue where he finally turns the tide in his favor.

From his three appearances here, Spieth has two victories. In between his two titles in 2013 and 2015, Spieth squeezed a T7. Although this year’s stats don’t really undergird his chances, we can’t totally ignore his ability to shine in the oddest moments. At this juncture, a top-10 would be a positive result for the three-time major winner. 

Denny McCarthy

It’s horses for courses for the 31-year-old. In his last two starts at TPC Deere Run, Denny McCarthy bagged a T6. The Rockville native’s power lies in the flat stick. He is 2nd in strokes gained: putting this season and 5th in putting average. McCarthy has been fairly consistent this year, missing only two cuts from his 17 appearances. His final-round blitzkrieg at the Valero Texas Open forced a playoff against Akshay Bhatia. Although McCarthy narrowly missed his chance, it once again proved the 31-year-old is close to finding the breakthrough. 

Aaron Rai

The British pro’s graph has been on an upward trend for the last couple of weeks. Rai is in the midst of a hot streak that reached its peak at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The Manchester United superfan hasn’t finished outside the top 20 in his last three starts. Rai has gained an average of 1.77 strokes compared to the field in his last five tournaments. 

Sepp Straka

The defending champion heads to Silvis as a hot favorite to repeat last year’s heroics. The big, burly Austrian faltered a little bit in his last two starts. But before that, Straka’s worst finish in six starts, barring the missed cut at the PGA Championship, was the T11 at the Zurich Classic. 

The two-time PGA Tour winner has leaned heavily on his irons in most of his rounds. With the driver, he isn’t as long as half of the field, but only Collin Morikawa has been more accurate with the longest club this season. At a course with wide fairways and large greens, that gives Straka an obvious advantage. However, he will need his TaylorMade Spider X putter to cooperate, which hasn’t been the case this season.

Sungjae Im

Im has flown under the radar this season. The South Korean has yet to net a title, but it’s his performance in the loaded signature events that bolsters his claim for a breakthrough. The two-time PGA Tour winner has five top-10s this season, four of which came in the Signature events. 

Barring the majors, Im has five top-15s in his last seven starts. In between, the 26-year-old won the Woori Financial Group Championship title in his home country. Im’s record at Deere Run isn’t eye-catching—47 and 26 from his two outings—but that can change this year; he is +1500 to lift the leaping stag trophy of the John Deere Classic.

The John Deere Classic is well-known for crowing first-time winners on the Tour. Because of its scheduling, the Quad City event has also served as a launching pad for youngsters. Expect the scores to go low and a birdie fest on Independence Day week.