POWER RANKINGS: JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
Photo: CBS Sports
Story: Rob Bolton | PGATour.com
For the second consecutive week, a PGA TOUR sophomore will defend his breakthrough title after scaling inside the top 25 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Xander Schauffele (currently 24th in the OWGR) factored at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier until a final-round 75. He finished T21. At this week's John Deere Classic, Bryson DeChambeau (22nd) is poised to enjoy the memories of his one-stroke victory a year ago.
For more on this duo, the tournament, how TPC Deere Run plays and DeChambeau's strange formula for success in 2017, scroll beneath the ranking.
15 | Scott Brown
He has everyone right where he wants them. With zero top 45s in his last six starts, the expectation is high to end that drought at TPC Deere Run where he's 5-for-6 with five top 25s.
14 | Joel Dahmen
Continues to flash the kind of form that yielded his monster season on the Mackenzie Tour in 2014. Career-best T5 at Greenbrier was his sixth top 25 in his last eight starts. Tee-to-green specialist.
13 | Brian Gay
It wasn't necessarily that something gave last week, but a T39 easily was his best finish in seven tries at Greenbrier. It's indicative of better form of late to sure, though. Four top 20s in last six starts.
12 | Kelly Kraft
Not the streaky sort, but he's positioned to surprise at TPC Deere Run where he placed T5 in his debut in 2016. Coming off a runner-up performance at Greenbrier to punch his ticket for the Open Championship.
11 | Kevin Tway
His T12 here last year was his best result anywhere from June of 2017 all the way through mid-May of 2018. Since, he's added a trio of top-10 finishes, the last a T6 at the Travelers.
10 | Scott Stallings
Like a freight train, you can see and hear him coming. Led the field in par-5 scoring at Greenbrier en route to a T13, his best finish since February. T16-T5 at TPC Deere Run since 2016.
9 | Austin Cook
Another strong showing at Greenbrier, this time for T5. Did everything well: first in fairways hit, T14 in GIR, fifth in proximity and ninth in strokes gained: putting. T6 near home in Memphis a month ago.
8Chesson Hadley
Took a week off after a T8 at the Quicken Loans National where he was seventh in proximity and second in strokes gained: putting. Seven top 10s on the season. Finished T25 here last year.
7 | Ryan Moore
The 2016 champ finally tripped during a summertime slump a year ago. It was his first missed cut in nine visits. Arrives in much better form this time with a pair of T13s in his last three starts.
6 | Joaquin Niemann
T5 at Greenbrier was fourth top 10 in eight starts as a pro. Perhaps most impressive is that he's battled back from over-par third rounds in his last two starts with a 65 and 64, respectively.
5 | Kyle Stanley
Settled for a T32 in his title defense of the QLN, but he's been nails all season. Fourth in fairways hit, fifth in GIR and 43rd in strokes gained: putting. Also 7-for-8 at TPC Deere Run with four top 25s.
4 | Steve Stricker
Three-time winner (2009-2011) and all-time earnings leader at TPC Deere Run. Last year's T5 was his eighth top 10 in 16 appearances. Two-time winner on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2018.
3 | Francesco Molinari
Making his tournament debut fresh off his coronation victory on the PGA TOUR. The title at the QLN was his second win in four starts (BMW PGA). He'll love firing at these flags.
2 | Bryson DeChambeau
It's hard to believe now, but the win here last year was his last top 25 of the season. In 2017-18, he's pounded out seven top 10s among 10 top 25s. Recent winner at Muirfield Village.
1 | Zach Johnson
One of the most impressive records for any golfer anywhere … and it's a home game. Since 2009, he's 9-for-9 at TPC Deere with a win (2012), three seconds, two thirds and a scoring average of 66.89.
Both Schauffele and DeChambeau were first-time members in 2016-17, and Schauffele went on to win the Rookie of the Year award, but DeChambeau exhausted his rookie eligibility as a non-member the previous season, so the two didn’t battle for votes. Both have won again since lifting their first trophies, but it's their consistently strong form that has each positioned firmly on the global stage.
That's exactly what tournament organizers of the John Deere Classic want. Every year, emergent talent is invited to compete. The timing is terrific just a few weeks removed from the conclusion of the collegiate season and a few weeks prior to qualifying school for the Web.com Tour, if necessary. DeChambeau was an amateur when he was extended a sponsor exemption in 2015. He rewarded the tournament with his return last year, and then used it as his springboard. A literal win-win.
This week's slate of headliners among that crowd includes Fred Haskins Award winner Norman Xiong, NCAA individual champion Broc Everett, 2017 U.S. Amateur runner-up Doug Ghim and former University of Illinois teammates Dylan Meyer and Nick Hardy.
No matter where any of the 156 in the field at TPC Deere Run is situated on his career trajectory, he couldn't ask for a more predictable and fair layout against which to test his game.
In favorable conditions last year, the field averaged 69.753, thus extending its streak to nine consecutive years of a scoring average within a half-shot window. It's a target that should be split again this week despite the threat for rain and storms mid-tournament. Warm and muggy air with light breezes support the proliferation of red numbers, so it's another green-light special on deck.
The field can expect to average over 10 (of 14) fairways hit and about 13 greens in regulation per round on the par-35-36=71 stretching to 7,268 yards. With bentgrass greens rolling at just 11.5 feet on the Stimpmeter and with what are annually among the easiest par 3s and par 4s of any course, this will be another shootout.
On the way to 18-under 266, DeChambeau's line reads like a misprint, so he's proof that anyone can prevail. He ranked T11 in greens hit and T29 in scrambling – fine – but he was second in strokes gained: putting despite finishing 50th in conversion percentage inside 10 feet. He did co-lead the field in par-3 scoring but ranked T30 in par-4 scoring, which is usually an automatic indicator of success because there are more par 4s than par 3s and par 5s on every golf course.
With his victory last year, DeChambeau also secured the final exemption into the Open Championship. Up for grabs again this week, it will go to the highest finisher, not otherwise exempt, inside the top five. As of Monday afternoon, 14 in the field already know that they are headed to Carnoustie.
