Brian Campbell secured his second PGA TOUR victory of the year by closing with a 4-under 67 to defeat Emiliano Grillo with a par on the first extra hole playoff Sunday, July 6, at the John Deere Classic (JDC) at the TPC Deere Run in Silvis.
Mr. Campbell’s first PGA win also was a playoff triumph at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld in February. He has finished outside the Top 30 in every other tournament. This latest victory may be enough to qualify him for The Open Championship, depending on his world ranking position released Monday, July 7.
Mr. Campbell carded three birdies in four holes to start the back nine on Sunday, but a double bogey on the 15th – after getting in trouble sending his tee shot into the trees – made for a wild finish.
Mr. Grillo, who also shot a 67, took the lead after Campbell’s double bogey, but then three-putted for a bogey on the 16th. Mr. Campbell narrowly missed a 25-foot birdie on the 18th, posting an 18-under 266 for the Quad Cities only PGA Tour event. This year’s purse was $8.4 million.
In the two-person playoff on the 18th, Mr. Campbell hit a perfect shot to about 15 feet from the hole. Mr. Grillo, whose drive landed in trampled rough, sent his shot long over the green. His shot coming back didn’t quite reach the putting surface, and his 25-foot par attempt was off target.
Mr. Campbell is the fifth player this year to have multiple individual PGA TOUR victories, joining Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Sepp Straka and Ryan Fox.
After clinching the 54th edition of the JDC, he called his winning “surreal,” The University of Illinois graduate received a sponsor’s exemption for the JDC in 2015 his first amateur invite. He would tie for 12th here two years later. A collection of Orange and Blue faithful followed him on his winning round.
It marked the first playoff at the John Deere Classic since 2015, according to JDC tournament statistics.
The JDC’s defending 2024 Champion Davis Thompson posted a 14-under for the tournament, ending up in a three-way tie for 18th place.
The tournament’s Concerts on the Course continued Sunday night with the Zac Brown Band.
The tournament’s nonprofit arm Birdies for Charity was expected to surpass the $200 million mark this year in total charitable giving. In 2024, Birdies raised a record $15.97 million that was distributed to 476 charities across the bistate region.
In June, title sponsor John Deere announced that it has extended its sponsorship through 2030 after reaching an agreement for a four-year extension with the PGA Tour.
