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 Classic (Aldrich Potgieter)
THIS WEEK: John Deere Classic, Silvis, Ill., July 3-6
Course: TPC Deere Run (Par 71, 7,289 Yards)
Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1.512M)
Defending Champion: Davis Thompson
FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @JDCLASSIC
NOTES: Only five weeks remain before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs. The top 70 players will qualify for the first leg. Notable players on the bubble in this week’s field include Chris Kirk (No. 67), Thompson (No. 70), Rickie Fowler (No. 72) and Karl Vilips (No. 73), who was the first player to sign as a brand ambassador with Tiger Woods’ “Sunday Day Red.” Fowler is playing the John Deere for the first time in 15 years, opting to compete in the U.S. instead of at the Scottish Open ahead of The Open Championship. … John Deere is the second-longest running title sponsor on tour (1998), behind only AT&T (1986), and has signed an extension to serve as the event’s title sponsor through 2030. … The field includes the top three ranked amateurs in the world: Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, Virginia’s Ben James and Ole Miss’ Michael La Sasso. … Thompson, who set the tournament scoring record of 256 last year, is seeking to become the first player to successfully defend at the John Deere since Steve Stricker won three straight from 2009-11. … Former U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson will make his 23rd event start — five more than any other player. He won in 2012 and has three runner-up finishes.
BEST BETS: Ben Griffin (+1600 at DraftKings) is a pre-tournament favorite for the first time, and for good reason. The highest-ranked player in the field at No. 17, Griffin has already won twice this year and has six consecutive top-14 finishes. … Jason Day (+2500) is coming off a T4 at the Travelers for his fourth top-10 of the year. … Michael Thorbjornsen (+3000) finished T4 last week and it’s just a matter of time before the former Stanford star wins on tour. … J.T. Poston (+3000) is a three-time winner on tour whose resume stacks up well against this field. … Potgieter (+3500) notched his first tour win last week after being denied in another dramatic playoff earlier this year. … Chris Kirk (+3500) lost in a playoff last week after posting a T12 at the U.S. Open. … Jake Knapp (+3500) shot a course record last week en route to a T4 and just needs to put together four solid rounds. … Nicolas Echavarria (+5000) offers very intriguing odds for someone who has won twice in the past nine months and is coming off a T6 in Detroit.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Genesis Scottish Open, North Berwick, Scotland, July 10-13; ISCO Championship, Louisville, Kent., July 10-13

LPGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Dow Championship (Somi Lee, Jin Hee Im)
THIS WEEK: OFF.
Race to the CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Evian Championship, Evian-les-Bains, France, July 10-13

LIV GOLF LEAGUE
LAST TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Dallas (Individual: Patrick Reed; Team: Crushers GC)
THIS WEEK: OFF.
Season Leaders: Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Crushers GC
NEXT TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Andalucia, Valderrama, Spain, July 11-13

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
LAST TOURNAMENT: U.S. Senior Open Championship (Padraig Harrington)
THIS WEEK: OFF.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Miguel Angel Jimenez
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Dick’s Open, Endicott, N.Y., July 11-13

–Field Level Media