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PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 John Deere Classic

By Chris Aliperto

SILVIS, IL - JULY 15: A general view of the 18th hole during the fourth and final round of the John Deere Classic held at TPC Deere Run on July 15, 2018 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Cohen/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
SILVIS, IL - JULY 15: A general view of the 18th hole during the fourth and final round of the John Deere Classic held at TPC Deere Run on July 15, 2018 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Cohen/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) /
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BLAINE, MN – JULY 7: Matthew Wolff hits a ball out of the rough on the ninth hole during the final round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. (Photo by Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
BLAINE, MN – JULY 7: Matthew Wolff hits a ball out of the rough on the ninth hole during the final round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. (Photo by Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via Getty Images) /

PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 John Deere Classic

5. Matthew Wolff – (135)

Blasphemy right? Number five?!? Even though this field is bad, and we all know that Wolff got the job done with his incredible weekend at the 3M Open, a follow-up performance like that seems unlikely. The 20-year-old was just dialed-in on Saturday, firing a 62, and kept it going with an incredible eagle putt on 18 to shoot 65 on Sunday and seal the deal, holding off Bryson DeChambeau and fellow rookie Collin Morikawa by a stroke.

Wolff had been a bit shaky in first two starts as a pro with a T-80 and a MDF at the Travelers Championship and a missed cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, so I have to dial back the ranking a bit, even off a win. It is obvious he can do it again after what was displayed last week, but the following golfers left to go in the PGA Power Rankings this week have just been more consistent as of late.

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4. Sungjae Im – (62)

Im continues to play solid golf, and the 21-year-old took another step in the right direction once again with this T-15 finish at the 3M Open. He has been grinding all year long, and is currently on one of his better stretches of the year over the last four weeks.

After a slight funk, he broke out at the RBC Canadian Open where he cracked the top-ten with a solo seventh place finish. He followed that up with back-to-back T-21, and then of course followed that with his T-15 last week. Im is in for the Open Championship next week, but this kid plays to win every week. I am a firm believer Sungjae’s win is coming, and I was actually a bit surprised Wolff got his first. That just says so much how much talent these up-and-comers have.

3. Joaquin Niemann – (79)

What took so long for the PGA Power Rankings this week? Well first off I took a little mini-vacation over the weekend so there is that, but what if I told you spent way too much time in my prep trying to figure out this top five? Seriously, I cannot remember a week where there was not a clear-cut top three, so consider these last few golfers 1A, 1B, and 1C, because that is basically what it boils down to for me.

Just like Sungjae Im, I have been saying right here for a long time that Niemann’s win is coming, and watching him in person last week at the 3M Open only solidified that fact. I made a note to catch him on the practice green on Friday, and was really impressed with the way he prepares and carries himself. Niemann ended up T-23 at TPC Twin Cities, following his back-to-back T-5’s at the Travelers Championship and the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

2. Collin Morikawa – (213)

What the top two spots really boiled down to this week, is Vegas Baby! No not Jhonny Vegas, although he is in this field and just missed cracking the top-20, but Vegas odds. Morikawa is 16/1 to win most everywhere you look right now, and that makes the 213 ranked player in the world the favorite to win, along with this weeks number one of course. Before we get there, lets find out what is putting Morikawa above the rest.

Speaking of being impressed like I was with Niemann, I camped out behind the second green at TPC Twin Cities for a good portion of Friday morning, and Morikawa was another dialed-in youngster, that seemed extremely composed, and just has an effortless swing. If I am not mistaken, he buried a long birdie putt that hole that day as well.

Morikawa turned pro just a few weeks before Wolff and Viktor Hovland, and he debuted with a T-14 at the RBC Canadian Open. He was able to notch a respectable T-35 at the U.S. Open in his first major championship, but really broke out last week at the 3M Open. It is tough to say Morikawa was more impressive than Wolff, and he certainly was not on the weekend, but rounds of 68,66,64, and 66 and a T-2 finish, and the fact that he is yet to miss a cut in his young career, make him one of the favorites this week, and number two in the PGA Power Rankings.

1. Viktor Hovland – (237)

Yes Matthew Wolff won first I get it, and I don’t know which golfer will have the better career, but one thing seems certain, both are primed for huge things. Wolff had to basically miss a couple of cuts on the PGA Tour first before he could put it all together, and Hovland has been in the mix week in and week out since his impressive T-12 in his last event as an amateur, the U.S. Open.

Hovland was a bit shaky on the weekend in his pro debut at the Travelers Championship which led to a T-54 finish, but he followed that with back-to-back T-13 finishes at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and last week at the 3M Open. Like Morikawa, Hovland is also 16/1 to win this week, and we could certainly see another coming out party this weekend for one of these young guns on tour.

DraftKings PGA: 2019 John Deere Classic Picks and Analysis. dark. Next

Thanks for stopping by FanSided Fantasy (Formerly FantasyCPR) and checking out my PGA Power Rankings, and our ever-expanding fantasy golf coverage. Be sure to keep an eye out for my FanDuel article coming soon. All information from this article is derived from OWGR, (cited previously) Data Golf, and Smart Golf Bets. Much thanks as always to these free sources of information.

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