John Deere Champion Davis Thompson from St. Simons Island, Georgia, gets a close look at the trophy after winning the tournament, Sunday July 7, 2024, on the 18th green at TPC Deere Run in Silvis . PHOTO CREDIT JOHN SCHULTZ
SILVIS – Some of golf’s biggest names, two country music headliners and thousands of volunteers and spectators are all gearing up as the 2025 John Deere Classic gets ready to swing into action this week. The Quad Cities’ PGA Tour event runs Wednesday, July 2, through Sunday, July 6, at TPC at Deere Run. But […]
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SILVIS – Some of golf’s biggest names, two country music headliners and thousands of volunteers and spectators are all gearing up as the 2025 John Deere Classic gets ready to swing into action this week. The Quad Cities’ PGA Tour event runs Wednesday, July 2, through Sunday, July 6, at TPC at Deere Run. But throughout the region its presence is already known. From signage for remote JDC parking to community messages welcoming the PGA field and guests, as well as full hotel properties, it is clear the area’s only PGA tournament is here. The summer tradition returns a month after Title Sponsor John Deere, headquartered in Moline, announced it is extending its sponsorship of the PGA event for another four years through 2030. According to the JDC, golf fans will see the sport’s big brand names, a bevy of elite youngsters trying to establish themselves on Tour, along with PGA veterans working to clinch a berth in the new 70-man FedExCup Playoff format. The 2024 JDC Champion Davis Thompson returns to the Silvis course where he won his first PGA title a year ago.The JDC announced this weekend that the field of top names will be led by Rickie Fowler, who burst onto the scene in 2010 sporting his trademark Oklahoma State orange outfits. He also is a veteran of multiple Ryder Cup teams who at one time finished in the top five of all four majors in the same year – a rare feat, says the tournament.
Well-known names
Other well-known names taking aim at a JDC title are: multiple Ryder Cup team member Max Homa, emerging star Ben Griffin, Australian veteran Jason Day, and Korean iron man Sungae Im. Other notables are: Denny McCarthy, Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Chris Kirk, Jake Knapp and Canada’s Adam Hadwin. Likewise, Brandt Snedeker, the captain of the 2026 U.S. Presidents Cup team, and Kevin Kisner, who will be on the NBC announce team for the Presidents Cup, will be competing. Making his John Deere Classic debut is former Masters champion Danny Willett of England.As in past years, the youth movement at the JDC is strong. Florida State alum Luke Clanton, who finished T-2 playing on a sponsor exemption at last year’s JDC, now returns after recently turning pro. So is Michael Thorbjornsen, the Stanford product who tied with Mr. Clanton for 2024 runner-up honors. Three 2025 Walker Cup team members (who were named after being awarded sponsor exemptions to the JDC) – Jackson Koivun, Ben James and reigning NCAA individual champion Michael La Sasso – also are in the field. Brendan Valdes – Mr. Koivun’s former teammate on Auburn’s 2024 national championship team – and Preston Summerhays of Arizona State, who already has played in three U.S. Opens, will tee it up at TPC Deere Run. While Mr. Valdes and Mr. Summerhays recently turned pro, Mr. Koivun and Mr. James are headed back to Auburn and Virginia, respectively, for their senior seasons. North Carolina Tarheel David Ford, who finished No. 1 in the PGA Tour University standings, thereby earned a full PGA Tour card, and will compete along with former Vanderbilt star Gordon Sargeant, who also recently turned pro – earning his Tour card while still in college.
Former champs return
The 2025 field also will boast several past JDC champions including defending champ Mr. Thompson. Others are: Lucas Glover (2021), Michael Kim (2018), J.T. Poston (2022), Dylan Frittelli (2019) and Iowa native and John Deere Classic standard bearer Zach Johnson (2012). Mr. Johnson will be playing in his 23rd consecutive John Deere Classic.A Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native, Mr. Johnson is one of several players with local ties. Former Illinois golfers who are in are Brian Campbell, winner of this year’s Mexico Open; Nick Hardy of the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, co-winner with Davis Riley of the 2023 Zurich Classic team event; and Doug Ghim, a native of Des Plaines, Illinois, who played his college golf at Texas. So are Northwestern alums David Lipsky and Dylan Wu.Mr. Thompson, 26, will defend his title in the 156-man field and compete for the $8.4 million purse. The classic’s winner receives $1,512,000.“We’re thrilled with our field this year,” JDC Tournament Director Andrew Lehman said in a news release. “We have a good mix of players. Veterans who have had a lot of success on Tour as well as a lot of hungry young guys looking to make a name for themselves and take the next step in their careers.”
The FedEdCup incentive
Organizers say a large incentive for the pros in this year’s JDC is earning eligibility for the FedExCup Playoffs, now in its 19th year. This year, for the first time, only those ranked among the top 70 are eligible. Until this year, the top 100 qualified for the FedExCup.But not all the action is on the fareways and greens. The very popular Concerts on this Course series returns this weekend for a third consecutive year. This year’s concerts, which offer post-round entertainment to the 18th hole at TPC Deere Run, will feature country music star Dierks Bentley performing Saturday, July 5, and the Zac Brown Band takes to the stage Sunday, July 6. The 90-minute shows should begin 45 minutes after the last putt drops. Purchase of a JDC tournament grounds ticket gets each ticketholder both admission to the tournament and the concert. For tickets, visit johndeereclassic.com.Founded in 1971, the John Deere Classic includes Birdies for Charity, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, that distributes millions of dollars each year to hundreds of charities around the region. Since the tournament first began, it has helped raise more than $189.6 million for charity and is expected to surpass the $200 million mark this year.For more information on the 2025 JDC, visit johndeereclassic.com
