John Deere Classic credits new playoff format for deep JDC field

Andrew Lehman remembers as a young tournament staffer the electricity heading into 2012’s John Deere Classic. Future U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Steve Stricker was bidding for a historic four-peat. But the field included so much more than his predecessor as the local PGA Tour stop’s champ — current Cup captain Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters […]

Andrew Lehman remembers as a young tournament staffer the electricity heading into 2012’s John Deere Classic. Future U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Steve Stricker was bidding for a historic four-peat. But the field included so much more than his predecessor as the local PGA Tour stop’s champ — current Cup captain Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champ, future British Open winner and long-time JDC paramour. So, excuse Mr. Lehman for having some flashbacks these days with the good vibes flowing for this year’s star-studded July 5-9 event at TPC Deere Run in Silvis. “In terms of quality, this is the deepest field we’ve had since 2012,” Mr. Lehman said ahead of the 5 p.m. Friday cutoff for qualified PGA Tour pros to commit to next week’s 52nd annual tournament. A whopping 53 Tour players ranked in the Top 100 in this year’s FedExCup Playoffs race were committed to this year’s JDC as of Thursday, June 29 — and still more could be coming depending on how they are faring at this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. “The fact that players now have to be in the Top 70 in FedExCup points to qualify for the playoffs definitely has given our field a boost,” Mr. Lehman said. “While other sports have increased the number of playoff spots, the Tour has reduced them. Fewer spots make it much more competitive, and our fans are going to see the players grinding.” The PGA this year created an even bigger summer points push by trimming 55 spots from the FedExCup’s three-event playoffs in August. Both the FedEx St. Jude’s Championship in Memphis (Aug. 10-13) and BMW Championship in Chicagoland (Aug. 17-20) carry $20 million prize purses while also leading into golf’s fourth major, the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta (Aug. 24-27). With only the Top 70 in the playoff standings now permitted to play in those three events, the 500 FedExCup points awarded to the JDC winner could prove even more valuable than the champion’s share of the $7.4 million prize purse.

That is why, Mr. Lehman said, JDC fans will see at least six players currently ranked in the Top 30 in the FedExCup standings. The top ranked player in the JDC field so far is recent RBC Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor, who is ninth in FedExCup points. Emiliano Grillo (20th), Denny McCarthy (21st), Seamus Power (23rd), Chris Kirk (24th) and Taylor Moore (28th) are the others ranked in the top 30 currently in the JDC field. Also among the Top 100 in the standings and committed to the JDC are nine-time PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar (50th) and the Tour’s reigning Rookie of the Year, 2022 British Open runner-up Cameron Young (48th). Nick Hardy, the former University of Illinois All-American, also ranks in the top 50 at No. 44 after teaming up with Davis Riley (43rd) to beat Canadian’s Adam Hadwin (51st) and Mr. Taylor at the Zurich Classic earlier this year in New Orleans. Of that tournament’s final foursome, only Mr. Riley is not scheduled to play at the JDC.

However, the JDC field does include defending champion J.T. Poston (87th), who will be chasing playoff points again to make the three-event scramble again in August. Poston posted a wire-to-wire victory at the 2022 JDC, winning by three shots with a 21-under par total for the four-day, 72-hole event. The victory boosted him into the playoffs, where he finished 15th and padded his season winnings by over $200,000. “My first win was in '19, so the defense was during COVID, so all this was over a Zoom call last time,” Mr. Poston said during the JDC’s media day in early June at Bally’s Quad Cities Casino & Hotel. “When we played the tournament, there were no fans out there, nothing. “So, this is kind of my first rodeo, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited. I think it's a fun aspect of being back when you're coming back as the defending champion. I'm going to try not to put too much pressure on myself and go out and perform like I would normally try to. I don't think there will be any sort of different game plan for the week other than just looking forward to being back.” Also returning to Deere Run is Mr. Johnson, a native of nearby Cedar Rapids. A longtime executive board member for the JDC, the two-time major tournament winner is playing at the local PGA Tour stop for the 21st consecutive time. Mr. Johnson’s first two appearances were on sponsor exemptions in 2002 and 2003; he won the JDC in 2012 and has finished in the top 10 seven times, including three runner-up finishes. Mr. Johnson currently ranks 150th in FedExCup points with 169. The 70th ranked golfer at the playoff cutoff owns 522.

Just ahead of Mr. Johnson in the standings – and also in the JDC field – is perhaps the most intriguing name. European Ryder Cup hopeful Ludvig Aberg made his highly anticipated pro debut in mid-June at the RBC Canadian Open, where he posted a Top 25 finish. The Swedish native did the same in his next start at the Travelers Championship on June 25, and added a 7-under 65 Thursday to sit one shot off the first round lead in Detroit. In May, Mr. Aberg became only the second person to repeat as the Ben Hogan Award winner – which is bestowed annually to the best college player in the U.S. He was the world’s top-ranked amateur when he turned pro. With the Scottish Open and British Open following the JDC in consecutive weeks, the JDC is again offering a charter flight to Europe for JDC players. Mr. Lehman said that feature continues helping the JDC attract players entered in those events, with 20 players already booked for that flight. Overall, 28 of the top 100 pros in the Official World Golf Rankings -- and 9 of the top 50 – are committed to the JDC. Included in those numbers are Mr. Young (19th), Mr. Grillo (41st) and Mr. Kuchar (55th) as well as Russell Henley (32nd) and Sepp Straka (37th). But with only four PGA Tour events following the JDC before the FedExCup playoffs begin, the biggest attraction remains the playoff points up for grabs next week. “We’re certainly excited about it,” said Mr. Lehman, who this year makes his official debut as the JDC’s tournament director. He succeeds Clair Peterson, who retired last year following a 20-year run. This year’s JDC excitement also includes two of country music’s biggest stars – Darius Rucker (Saturday, July 8) and Blake Shelton (Sunday, July 9) – for post-round performances in the first-ever “Concerts on the Course” series on the 18th hole. Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year Caitlin Clark – who led the University of Iowa to the national championship game in April – also makes an appearance at the Youth Day Clinic and plays in the Pro-Am on Wednesday, July 5. For tickets to the JDC – which includes the concerts – visit johndeereclassic.com/sponsorship/ticket-packages.