One week after he prevailed in a five-hole, three-man playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Australian Cam Davis and the PGA Tour head to Silvis, Illinois, for the John Deere Classic.

With the event scheduled a week before the Open Championship gets underway at Royal St. George's Golf Club, most of the top players in the world have opted to head overseas for the European Tour's Scottish Open.

Subsequently, the field at TPC Deere Run is very thin, with only five of the top-50 golfers in the world rankings teeing it up.

Daniel Berger, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year, heads the list and he's followed by past champion Brian Harman.

The John Deere Classic wasn't contested last year due to COVID-19, making 2019 winner Dylan Frittelli the defending champion.

The 31-year-old continued the trend of first-time champs at this tournament, joining Michael Kim and Bryson DeChambeau before him.

Frittelli, a South African, broke a 12-year reign for American winners at this event.

Low scoring is paramount for success around this track, as nine of the last 11 champions have shot at least 20-under-par.

The two that didn't reach that mark were at 18 and 19 under, respectively.

A close battle is to be expected, with 14 of the last 16 champions either winning in a playoff, by a single shot, or two strokes.

There are four Canadians participating in Illinois this week, each considered a long shot to claim the trophy come Sunday evening.

Roger Sloan is Canada's best hope in the eyes of oddsmakers at +8000 following a top-25 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Nick Taylor, who has won twice on the circuit, is next at +10000.

The final two Canadians face an even steeper climb, with Michael Gligic starting the event at +25000, and David Hearn, who lost a playoff to Jordan Spieth here in 2013, is +40000.

Here's our first look at the field for the John Deere Classic.

Betting Odds To Win 2021 John Deere Classic– Top 15

Daniel Berger               +1000

Brian Harman               +1400

Sungjae Im                   +1600

Russell Henley              +1800

Kevin Streelman           +2200

Alex Noren                   +2800

Cam Davis                     +2800

Si Woo Kim                   +3300

Seamus Power             +3300

Zach Johnson               +4000

Troy Merritt                 +4000

Aaron Wise                   +4000

Maverick McNealy      +4000

Hank Lebioda               +4500

Kevin Na                       +4500

Zach Johnson loves this track

Zach Johnson has made a habit of contending at the John Deere Classic after taking the title in 2012.

He's had several other close calls at this tournament, losing a playoff, along with David Hearn, to Jordan Spieth in 2013, and has two more runner-up finishes (2009, 2014).

The list of strong outings for the two-time major champion doesn't end there, with Johnson finishing third in 2015 and T-5 in 2017.

Not surprisingly, his 'strokes gained' statistics in the last 24 rounds at TPC Deere Run are impeccable.

He's first in total strokes gained, ball striking, tee-to-green and approach.

He's fourth in SG: short game, ninth around the green, and 15th in both putting and strokes gained off-the-tee.

Suffice to say, Johnson treats TPC Deere Run as his personal playground.

Though his skills have diminished somewhat as he's now 45, he's still great at putting and ranks third in strokes gained in that category this season.

He can draw inspiration from 51-year-old Phil Mickelson, who became the oldest major champion at the PGA Championship in May, and Stewart Cink, who is three years older than ZJ but has won twice this season.

Richard Bland also broke through on the European Tour at age 48, showing there's still some room for wily veterans to get it done on the biggest stages.

Johnson has been solid, if unspectacular of late, making four of his last six cuts.

At +4000, his odds are still suitable enough given that he's up against a weak field and how he's dominated this track.

Past Five Winners of the John Deere Classic

2019 Dylan Frittelli               -21    (2 shot win)

2018           Michael Kim                 -27    (8 shot win)

2017 Bryson DeChambeau   -18    (1 shot win)

2016 Ryan Moore                           -22    (2 shot win)

2015 Jordan Spieth               -20    (playoff)

Fore Your Information

Trending Up

Hank Lebioda               +4500

Based on his recent play, Hank Lebioda can make his case for being the golfer who can best continue the trend of first-time winners at this event.

The crafty lefty has made six straight cuts, with four top-20 finishes during that span.

He's saved his best for the last two weeks, as he's contended to win both the Travelers Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Lebioda was T-5 in Hartford and T-4 in Detroit, finishing just a shot out of the playoff.

In his last 24 rounds, he's tops in total strokes gained of those competing this week, and he's fourth in putting.

His tee-to-green and putting have been spectacular, as he's gained strokes on the field in five of the last six tournaments in both those categories.

Ideally, you'd be getting him at a bit longer odds than the +4500 that he sports, but he's been knocking on the door a lot of late and this could be the week he busts it down.

Diamond in the Rough

Roger Sloan                 +8000

When searching for golfers in markets other than outright winner, 34-year-old Canadian Roger Sloan is intriguing, based on his history at this venue.

In the two times he's teed it up at the John Deere Classic, Sloan has placed T-18 (2015) and was T-10 the last time the event was held in 2019.

For those eight rounds, he ranks fifth in total strokes gained, eighth off-the-tee, 12th tee-to-green and 19th in putting.

For the campaign, Sloan, who was born in Calgary, has been on the periphery of contending, placing inside the top-25 six times.

That includes last week, where he was T-21 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Asking Sloan to take a run at the title isn't totally out of the realm of possibility given the diluted field, but the more reasonable scenario could find him battling for a top 10/20 finish.

His odds to do just that will still yield a decent payout, given that he's still a long shot at +8000 to win outright.