Bolton: Time to sprinkle Tom Kim into your John Deere Classic fantasy lineup

If you had Scottie Scheffler as your captain at the Travelers Championship in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf – hand raised – then you’re probably still in disbelief that he didn’t convert his 5-foot birdie attempt in the playoff against Viktor Hovland to determine the winner of the Travelers Championship on Monday morning. While it won’t count against Scheffler in official statistics – strokes in playoffs do not contribute – it cost him his 21st PGA TOUR victory. For gamers who waited to exhale, it can feel like it was worth so much more.

When Scheffler’s try grazed the left edge of the cup in overtime, gamers settled for 80 FedExCup bonus points with him as the captain instead of the 140 that was in play before the putt. While that can sting in the short term, some context and perspective are necessary to appreciate the value of his performance overall.

When any golfer says something along the lines of, “If you had told me at the beginning of the week that I’d lose in a playoff, I’d have taken it,” they're considering their long-range objectives. Sure, everyone plays to win and wants trophies, but the litany of consolation prizes aren’t too shabby. You can disagree with that psyche all you want, but that sentiment is where our fantasy goals align, because there’s only so much that we can control.

As a captain, Scheffler totaled 294 fantasy points at TPC River Highlands. That includes the 80 FedExCup bonus points for solo second. He circled 25 birdies against only four bogeys all week. When Scheffler won The American Express to open his season (in Segment 1), he totaled 310 fantasy points that included 100 FedExCup bonus points. All 32 of his par breakers that week also were birdies, and he squared three bogeys and one double bogey.

Although victories are preferred, you’d happily accept having been on board for both bonanzas. And that’s exactly the point, even when he doesn’t prevail – latching onto his three largest-scoring weeks in a segment regardless of the outcome.

Sure, Scheffler could very well win all five of his remaining starts in Segment 3, but his round scoring in most, if not all, of them will not match the 53.5 points per round that he scored on average as a captain at the Travelers. And because wins for captains in the playoffs will yield 150 FedExCup bonus points instead of the 400 that they once did, logging 80 at the Travelers with potentially as many as two starts still to burn, well, ain’t too shabby.

And that’s not all.

The other layer for why it was key for Scheffler to be your captain at TPC River Highlands is that he populated only 32.3% of the rosters saved. That was just the sixth-most in the field of 72. (Hovland was tied for 21st-most at 8.5%.) So, relative to where Scheffler’s splits likely will land in the FedExCup Playoffs (i.e., higher), the coefficient reflecting impact at the Travelers should prove to be greater even if his total fantasy points for a win in the series outpace his output in central Connecticut.

The Scheffler phenomenon does not apply to any of the 144 in the field at this week’s John Deere Classic for whom the question isn’t when, it’s if.

It’s possible that you have three starts remaining for every golfer at your disposal, so ignore the restriction. Nailing this tournament is tough enough without unnecessary added pressure. And from here through the Wyndham Championship, every field is full, and every stop will have a 36-hole cut. Even when The Open Championship arrives in two weeks, the variables that influence our decisions shouldn’t be terribly influential as it concerns our roster management over time.

Because there isn’t a definitive favorite to win at TPC Deere Run, front-runners can’t stymie gamers in pursuit. It’s a dynamic that will become familiar over these next six tournaments. But before you allow the tendency to be aggressive to take over, focus on a roster most likely to yield at least four paydays, for this is the primary line of defense for those same front-runners who can use the clock to their advantage by employing chalk. They’ve earned it, so do your best not to be cute. If you’ve earned it, the same advice applies.

Regardless of your position, your strongest angle during this stretch will be your captain. If you’re not lucky to cash four against what you hope will be a lower level of production of your target(s), at least leverage the possibility to be different with your man leading the way. In a shootout like what’s on tap at the John Deere, you’re almost promised to be luckier than good. Embrace it.

Captain

Tom Kim ... As alluded to above, this is entirely personal, but I’m a chaser, so I’m deviating from the No. 1 in my Power Rankings, Ben Griffin, in favor of the No. 2. It’s not easy, but I’m trying to ignore that both guys missed the cut at last year’s John Deere.

Other considerations

• Ben Griffin ... Also No. 1 in my Power Rankings last year, so shame on him for failing to fulfill his projection. He’s ideal for league leaders because of his potential pop on top of his consistently strong form upon arrival. He’s also not slated for next week’s Genesis Scottish Open, so his focus is solely on the here and now.
• J.T. Poston ... Easily the safest of the remaining options, but again, you can think outside the box this week. So, if you haven’t explored the Power Rankings, you’ll find at least a couple of choices that align with your philosophy.

Rounding out my roster

It’s always possible for one side of the draw to be favored, but the weather forecast two days out doesn’t suggest that a stack will be endorsed. So, if you’re not as conservative as I am, consider a blend of talent from both sides with the aforementioned goals as your guide.

My starters

• Ben Griffin
• Tom Kim (C)
• Jackson Koivun
• J.T. Poston

My bench

• Denny McCarthy (1)
• Chris Gotterup (2)

Careful

For almost every tournament, a usually impressive subset of the field warrants avoiding, and it might be represented in my Power Rankings which is not written in the context of any fantasy golf format. In this section, I single out who demands pause and why.

• Jordan Spieth ... The two-time John Deere winner has returned only once since his second title in 2015 and placed T26 in 2024, so course history has virtually no impact now. Meanwhile, he has seven top-20 finishes this season, but none have been top-10 finishes. So, as long as your expectation is for him to make the cut, after which everything he contributes is a bonus, good, but there are sharper angles to fend off the 36% of gamers who are on board.
• Rickie Fowler ... If you played a game with others who follow the sport and asked them to guess his position in the FedExCup standings and his Official World Golf Ranking, it’s likely that the majority, if not all, of the answers would be worse than 33rd and 42nd, respectively. Both reflect a phenomenal first few months of 2026, but he’s just 2-for-5 and without a top-35 finish since the PGA Championship. Although he finished T18 here last year, the inconsistency doesn’t fit this week’s formula, but 30.9% of gamers believe otherwise.
• Jacob Bridgeman ... At last check, he was third-most owned at 41.7%, but he’s delivered only one top-30 finish in nine starts since the Masters (T11, RBC Canadian Open). He’s a cut-maker, and that matters, and he placed T5 at TPC Deere Run last year after a similarly quiet run, but that split is bananas. He’s struggled to get off the blocks throughout this lull and ranks 119th in first-round scoring average, but if he starts strong, give him a look in live betting markets.
• Michael Thorbjornsen ... Given the love he receives and the fact that he’s 3-for-3 at TPC Deere Run with respective results of T17 (as an amateur), T2 and T21, I’m surprised that he appears on only 8.2% of the rosters saved, but the 24-year-old has scuffled more than he’s delivered. After leading the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation last season, he’s 51st in 2026 and has surrendered about one green in regulation per round. Despite an overall ranking that isn’t terrible, that’s a massive drop that helps explain why he’s about 0.6 strokes higher in adjusted scoring.

Returning to competition

• Marco Penge ... Committed to this week’s BMW International Open on the DP World Tour. It’d be his first live action since missing the cut at the PGA Championship, ahead of which he shared with his followers on social media that he was dealing with lingering issues related to a viral infection last fall. He withdrew early from both THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and the U.S. Open since then. The PGA TOUR rookie also acknowledged two weeks ago that his doctor advised against a long flight, thus his appearance in Germany instead this week. He’s 97th in the FedExCup, so he's been leaning on a bit of a cushion as it concerns long-term goals, but it’s good that he’s feeling well enough to compete again. Assuming he’s good to go, he should be in a position to contribute in our universe at next week’s Genesis Scottish Open.
• Paul Waring ... Also slated to peg it at the BMW International Open. He last played at the RBC Canadian Open, where he withdrew during his opening round due to an illness. The 41-year-old is 180th in the FedExCup and has just one start remaining on his medical extension, so if he doesn’t withdraw, he will be burning his last start in Germany because he’s eligible on his number to play the John Deere.

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