A John Deere Gator takes its place in the pond at the John Deere Classic in this 2021 file photo. CREDIT JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
There will be Gators lurking on the 16th Hole at TPC Deere Run beginning Thursday, July 4th, awaiting capture by the first John Deere Classic PGA Tour player who can card a hole-in-one off the 16th tee over the four-day JDC tournament. Of course, it’s not as though Gators are unicorns at TPC Deere Run […]
Already a subscriber? Log in
Want to Read More?
Get immediate, unlimited access to all subscriber content and much more. Learn more in our subscriber FAQ.
There will be Gators lurking on the 16th Hole at TPC Deere Run beginning Thursday, July 4th, awaiting capture by the first John Deere Classic PGA Tour player who can card a hole-in-one off the 16th tee over the four-day JDC tournament.Of course, it’s not as though Gators are unicorns at TPC Deere Run in Silvis. John Deere’s trademark Gators can often be spotted out and about during the annual JDC tournament and throughout the year. These all-terrain top-of-their class utility vehicles are one of the workhorses of the course. In 2022, TPC Deere Run also offered a sneak peek at a Sustainable Concept Gator – made from a collection of old bottles, fishing nets, recycled rubber, coconut shells, soybeans and the like. That window on the future also included materials salvaged from Quad Cities waterways by the East Moline-based environmental group Living Lands & Waters.Then, of course, each year, there’s the John Deere Gator that is promised during the JDC trophy presentation and later delivered to the tournament champion as part of the annual tournament awards package.This year’s JDC boasts an overall tournament prize purse of $8 million.
First-time opportunity
The hole-in-one Gator giveaway is a first-time daily opportunity from John Deere. Through it, the JDC’s title sponsor – a market-leading producer of agricultural turf equipment – will give players four chances to bag their own Gator by being the first player that day to post an ace on the 16th hole. That doesn’t mean, however, that the Moline-based global equipment maker will be handing out four Gators. In fact, the odds seem to be against it.Nicknamed “Mother Earth,” the 16th hole is one of three Par-3s on the TPC at the Deere Run course. The other two Par 3s on the front nine are at No. 3 and No. 7. (The 16th Hole is also where John Deere’s corporate hospitality suite is located.) The tournament describes the Par-3 16th Hole this way on its website: “Most likely, the ‘Signature Hole.’ To the left is the Rock River and all the perils it commands. It may be short, but it is dangerous.”It’s probably not surprising then that hole-in-ones at 16 during the JDC have proved elusive. How elusive? Since TPC Deere Run opened in the year 2000, the tournament said, there have been only two aces recorded on the 16th; one in 2004 by Willie Wood and the other in 2021 by Maverick McNealy.
