Golf Tips: Best bets for John Deere Classic and BMW International

• Steve Rawlings previews the John Deere Classic and BMW International

• Dave Tindall and Matt Cooper provide their best e/w bets

• Course info, first round leader, outsiders to back at over 100/1101.00

John Deere Classic tips and prediction

The Punter's Preview: Don't sleep on Knapp at 45/1

Steve Rawlings: "In an event were shooting low scores day after day is imperative, last year's Mexico Open winner, Jake Knapp, is a very obvious candidate. The 31-year-old Californian shot rounds of 67, 64 and 63 to take a four-stroke lead into day four in Mexico (won by two after a 71 on Sunday) and that's far from his only impressive performance in a low-scoring birdie-fest like this.

"Knapp sat second with a round to go (finished eighth) in last year's Byron Nelson after rounds of 64, 64 and 67 and he's twice shot super low rounds already this year. Knapp set the new course record with his 11-under-par 61 at Detroit last week, where he eventually missed out on the playoff by a solitary stroke, but that pales into insignificance when compared to his mid-blowing 59 around PGA National at the Cognizant Classic back in early March, where he missed an eagle putt on the 18^th to record a 58!

"Knapp made his debut here 12 months ago, when he only finished 52^nd but he's hard to ignore after last week's tied fourth and 44.0 looks fair."

Dave Tindall's Each-Way Picks: Back Bezuidenhout at 40/1

Dave Tindall: "Christiaan Bezuidenhout was runner-up on his John Deere Classic debut in 2022 and, confirming the link between this course and Colonial, he was 16th (all four rounds in the 60s) at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May, his fourth straight top 25 there.

"Since then he's dug out a battling 12th place in the US Open and perhaps feeling the after effects of that 72-hole grind, he was slow out of the blocks at the Travelers a week later. Rounds of 71-74 only just got him through the cut but he kicked on over the weekend with laps of 69 and 66.

"Notably, Bezuidenhout was 1st for Strokes Gained: Putting at the Travelers and that followed 8th for SGP in the US Open at Oakmont. He was 3rd in Putting when runner-up on the first of his two John Deere appearances and ranks 12th in that category in 2025.

"Bezuidenhout has always been a good scrambler (24th Around The Green this season) and there's also the added element of him feeling a little inspired by the win for fellow South African Aldrich Potgieter at last week's Rocket Classic."

Find Me a 100 Winner: Three longshots chanced at between 109/1 and 289/1

Steve Rawlings: "Romain Langasque missed the cut in 2019, after finishing 31^st on debut two years earlier, and he was only 38^th in 2023. But he'd sat just one off the lead after a 67 in round one that year. He finished fifth in 2022.

"He clearly enjoys the venue and that's perhaps not surprising, given he's finished second and ninth in his only two starts at another tree-lined track - Rinkven International Golf Club in Antwerp. The correlation between this venue and Rinkven is very strong.

"Since finishing ninth in Belgium, just after his 30^th birthday, Langasque has missed the cut in Austria and Italy last week but, as Matt Cooper highlights in his each-way column, conditions were extremely gruelling in Tuscany and a weekend off there may even be a positive.

"Langasque is in search of his second DP World Tour title, having won the Wales Open five years ago, so he can't be described as prolific. But he's a class act who may well draw inspiration from fellow Frenchman, Adrien Saddier, who got off the mark on the DP World Tour in his 200^th start last week in Italy."

Place order to lay 8 Us @ 10.0 and 12 Us @ 2.0

First-Round Leader Tips: Trio to back from 70/1 to 250/1

Dave Tindall: "Sami Valimaki shot a 61 on his first ever lap of TPC Deere Run last year although it didn't get the attention it deserved due to Springer's 59. He added laps of 65 and 66 on the weekend to finish 12th so clearly the Finn gets on well with this par 71.

"With five top 20s in his last nine starts he's having a good season and that fine run includes a closing 62 that earned him fourth place in the Houston Open.

"An opening 63 in the Cognizant Classic is evidence of another low one on a Thursday and hopefully four rounds in the 60s when 19th in last week's Rocket Classic set him up to hit the birdie trail again on day one here. The 80/1 (1/4, 5 Places) shot tees off at 1.22pm local."

Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "TPC Deere Run is a gently undulating course with Bentgrass fairways and greens, and laid out 650 feet above sea level. Water hazards come into play on just four holes, at this traditional parkland layout.

"Following the 2021 edition, the course underwent a comprehensive renovation of its bunkers which were completely rebuilt. TPC Deere Run, which is a truly rural venue, is built on the site of a former Arabian horse farm.

"The average-winning 72-hole total for the last 15 John Deere Classics is 262.27, which is 21.73 under par. Just 12 months ago, winner Davis Thompson was 28 under par (256), which illustrates that a hot putter is necessary for any aspiring champion...

"In a mediocre field such as this, few golfers stand out as potential title contenders. But one player who does appear to be a cut above the rest, regarding current form, is Ben Griffin 16/1. The 29-year-old, who resides in Georgia, has won twice on Tour this year and is currently sixth in the FedEx Cup standings."

BMW International tips and prediction

The Punter's Preview: Classy Couvra great each-way value at 35/1

Steve Rawlings: "There's a clutch of quality young players emerging on the DP World Tour this season and one or two of them look like future superstars.

"Recent winners, Marco Penge, Eugenio Chacarra, and Kristoffer Retain have all impressed to varying degrees but the one with perhaps the highest ceiling is the 22-year-old Frenchman, Martin Couvra, who's a bafflingly big price with the Sportsbook at 35/1 with eight places.

"Couvra missed the cut at the Soudal Open at the end of May but that's his only poor performance since he missed the cut at the China Open in April.

"He followed that weekend off with a fifth place finish in the Hainan Classic and a victory in the Turkish Airlines Open. Since missing the cut in Belgium, following his maiden win in Turkey, he's finished eighth in Austria and second in Italy last week, where he was caught and passed by fellow Frenchman, Adrien Saddier, on the back-nine on Sunday.

"He did very little wrong in Tuscany and another high finish is highly plausible given he ranked seventh for Putting Average in Turkey, eighth in Austria and ninth last week in Italy."

Each-Way Tips: 75/1 Syme can ride the wave

Matt Cooper: "Connor Syme is a recent winner and I'll happily take him at 75/1. There is, of course, an in-built risk because that win came in his last outing in the Netherlands. But Syme has course form: he was T14 in 2023 and fourth last year.

"The 29-year-old also really likes tree-lined parkland tracks in northern Europe with second and fourth at Diamond CC, tenth, fourth and second at Galgorm Castle, third at The Belfry, seventh at the K Club, and tenth at Wentworth. He doesn't mind a bit of altitude either with multiple top 10s in both Joburg and Nairobi.

"Winning is a funny business and it could take a bit of getting used to. But in his career he's hit a few little hot spells and strung together a series of good results. He's in a good place to try that again this week and he has the bonus of being fresh having missed last week's venture to the Med.

"There's a stationary wave beneath a bridge in the Englischer Garden. I'm going to visit it at some point this week and Syme can metaphorically ride it."

Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "Munchen Eichenried is a tree-lined and parkland course, where water comes into play on six holes. New trees are planted each year and, to provide a better viewing experience for spectators, numerous mounds have been built on what is a largely flat venue.

"The course has generously spacious fairways, while all putting surfaces were renovated in 2019. The slightly undulating, lightning-fast greens, are said to be among the finest in Germany. The tournament was first staged in 1989 and this will be the 29th occasion it has been held at Munchen Eichenried.

"Patrick Reed 12/1 travels to Germany on the back of his hard-earned victory in Dallas on Sunday. The American is up to fourth in the LIV Tour standings for 2025, after surviving a four-man play-off in Texas."

Now read Open Championship 2025: Two picks from Dave Tindall in his early look at Royal Portrush