The John Deere Classic once again received the PGA Tour’s Best Charitable Impact and Integration award during a Tuesday, Dec. 9, meeting with all the tour events.
The Quad Cities tournament held at TPC at Deere Run in Silvis was also one of three finalists for this year’s annual “Event of the Year” honors for the third straight year, the JDC announced in a Wednesday, Dec. 10, news release.
“The John Deere Classic is honored to have won the award for Best Charitable Impact and Integration,” JDC Tournament Director Andrew Lehman added. “The award recognizes the efforts of everyone involved with the tournament from our volunteers, sponsors, donors and charities.”
The JDC and its Birdies for Charity arm also continue to lead the PGA Tour in per capita charitable giving, with the money raised this year equating to $45.19 for every one of the Quad Cities’ 375,000 residents, the release said. That’s a distinction JDC said the tournament has proudly held for more than a decade.
In addition to the latest back-to-back-to-back trio of the PGA Tour Best Charitable Impact and Integration awards, the JDC captured nine “Most Engaged Community” awards in previous PGA “Best of” honors.
In 2025, for example, just days after the most recent JDC the Quad Cities PGA Tour announced an historic milestone. It had surpassed the $200 million mark in total charitable giving since the tournament’s inception in 1971.
“With this year’s total, the official number now stands at $206,597,020 – an astounding 99% of which has been raised since John Deere became title sponsor in 1998,” according to the Wednesday JDC news release announcing its latest “Best of” award.
‘Unwavering generosity’
“This recognition is a testament to the unwavering generosity of our entire region, John Deere, our corporate partners and the thousands of community members who give year after year,” Mr. Lehman said Wednesday. “John Deere’s deep-rooted commitment to corporate citizenship continues to be the driving force behind the tournament’s success and the life-changing impact we’re able to make together.”
This year’s Birdies for Charity raised a total of $16,944,896 – which included a generous 9% bonus fund match from John Deere – funded 460 participating nonprofits in the bi-state Quad Cities region.
The John Deere Classic, including Birdies for Charity, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 15623 Coaltown Road, East Moline, Illinois.
In announcing the JDC’s Best of award online, the PGA Tour lauded the JDC Birdies for Charity program and the record-breaking results.
“Among the highlights of the event’s on-site charitable integration was the story of Carter Henning, a local high school golfer who lost his leg in a snowmobile accident in February, the post added. “Henning was invited by the tournament to compete in the pro-am and was treated to an unforgettable day alongside past John Deere Classic winners Zach Johnson and Dylan Frittelli.”
The next John Deere Classic is scheduled to run June 29-July 5, 2026, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, and will once again coincide with Fourth of July celebrations and charity events.
