Bankroll $896 / Year to Date +$396 – POWERED BY KALSHI
Last week was an “L” for us in The Learning Center. Not just because our picks came up short, but we had the winner sitting in our drafts. Let’s review. Harry Hall finished three strokes out of 5th place, Cameron Young wasn’t even the top “Cameron” and Luke Clanton wasn’t the top “Luke.” But as mentioned, our biggest regret was keeping Aldrich Potgieter off our picks list. Let me make a confession, I hit a moving golf ball in a high school golf match and didn’t call a penalty on myself. I tell you this deep dark secret now so you know I’m telling the truth and hopefully you’ll believe me when I say, we wrote up a whole post on Potgieter and killed it because we wanted to go with Luke Clanton instead. Unforgivable. That said, we learned something last week that should carry on to the John Deere – it’s long ball season. This week we’re backing some more big hitters who can go low.
Michael Thorbjornsen $10 to Win / +3000
He’s the 5th longest driver on tour. I’ll be honest—Michael Thorbjornsen isn’t exactly a household name unless you’re deep into the Stanford golf alumni Facebook group. But he’s quietly turned TPC Deere Run into his personal ATM machine. The kid finished T-2 here last year after rattling off six straight birdies on Sunday to shoot 63, which is the kind of number I usually only post if I stop keeping score after about 12 holes. Add in his top-20 finish the year before, and you’ve got someone who clearly enjoys cashing checks with a John Deere more than your local farmer. He’s a solid bet at +3500 odds to win outright and an even better first-round leader play—he’s got that Thursday 65 vibe written all over him. Statistically, he’s elite off the tee and ranks near the top in birdie percentage, so he should make enough circles to cover any mid-round implosions..
Chris Gotterup $10 to Win / +3500
He’s the 7th longest driver on tour. Gotterup might not be the guy your buddies recognize from a distance, but he’s quietly been dialing in his irons sharper than a new Lynx set fresh out of the box. This kid’s ball-striking is elite—top-10 on tour, seventh in greens hit, and he’s finished T-26 or better in six of his last eight starts. Let’s not forget, last year he cruised to a T-4 at Deere Run, putting up a very respectable -17 for the week.
Denny McCarthy $10 to Win / +2500
Okay, we’ve got one bunter in here but Denny McCarthy is steady. We’re talking three consecutive top-10 finishes at the John Deere Classic, averaging around 14-under at Deere Run—this isn’t luck, it’s consistency. Known for being an absolute wizard on the greens and clutch with a wedge in his hands. He’s the safe bet to contend…unless he doesn’t.
Aldrich Potgieter $20 to Finish in the Top 10 / +750
Potgieter just had the week of his life and while we don’t see him winning, we see him riding a heater to contention. He’s averaging about 327 yards off the tee—making Deere Run look like your local executive course. He’s not just a grip-it-and-rip-it guy, either—he showed solid control with a T6 finish at Colonial, hitting two-thirds of his fairways and ranking inside the top 30 on tour in putting. Maybe he’s the second coming of Rory and +750 for a top 10 looks juicy. He’s so good, we’ve already memorized how to spell his name.
