SILVIS – With less than six weeks until the PGA Tour and national spotlight return to the Quad Cities, leaders with the John Deere Classic (JDC) are readying for another year of memorable moments and magic here at TPC Deere Run.
The region’s only PGA tournament hits the links beginning Wednesday, July 1, and will celebrate a 2026 champion Sunday, July 5, on TPC’s 18th green. The annual event, which again spans the Fourth of July, not only promises a talented field of pro golfers but also will offer its fourth year of Concerts on the Course – with Carrie Underwood and Old Dominion performing – as well as celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday with a patriotic and military flair throughout the week.
A crowd of JDC supporters, staff and board leaders joined local Quad Cities media for the 2026 Champions Day hosted Tuesday, May 19, at the Silvis course’s clubhouse.
While looking ahead – 43 days in fact – to the 2026 tournament, JDC Tournament Director Andrew Lehman reflected on all the wins the 2025 tournament drove in, which collectively, “make the JDC the envy of the Tour.”
Mr. Lehman, who is leading his sixth JDC tournament as director, praised his staff, the tournament sponsors, volunteers, the community’s Birdies for Charity donations, the JDC Board of Directors and the media. To the local journalists, he said “You make the John Deere Classic feel like the Master’s each and every year.”
Applauding the army of volunteers whose time and talent make each year’s tournament come to life, he also gave a huge shoutout to “the greatest sponsor on the PGA Tour, John Deere.”
Champions Day would not have been complete without an appearance by University of Illinois alum and PGA pro Brian Campbell, who will defend his 2025 JDC champion title this summer.
2025 milestones
“The magic does happen here,” Mr. Lehman said of last year’s successes – referencing the JDC’s tagline.
Noting the 43-day countdown to JDC (as of Tuesday), the director reminded the dozens gathered for the kickoff news conference of the many milestones the JDC hit last year. They included:
- Just under 2,400 volunteers throughout the 2025 tournament week and pre-planning, without whose dedication and hard work the JDC could not exist, he said.
- The JDC’s Concerts on the Course saw their third year with performances by Dierks Bentley and Zac Brown Band. The concerts, which debuted on tournament weekend in 2023, have opened up the QC professional golf event to non-golf fans.
- A contract extension by John Deere, whose world headquarters sit nearby in Moline, “keeps the event here through 2030,” Mr. Lehman said. The JDC announced the contract extension at the 2025 Champions Day, also at TPC Deere Run.
- A record $16.9 million was raised by the JDC’s Birdies for Charity, not only setting an annual record but also pushing the tournament over the historic $206 million mark since the Quad Cities tournament began in 1971.
- The 2025 JDC also brought in a record $75 million in economic impact to the Quad Cities region.
“That’s a staggering number we never take for granted,” Mr. Lehman said.
Last year’s Birdies donations benefitted 460 participating regional charities. Thanks to John Deere, which underwrites all the program’s administrative costs, each charity receives 100% of the pledges they bring in. Last year, the nonprofit partners also saw a 9% bonus match.
Of the $200 million raised to date, Mr. Lehman pointed out that 99% has been generated since John Deere first became the title sponsor in 1998. Originally known as the Quad Cities Open, it was rebranded JDC that same year.
Campbell: ‘little ‘stitious’
As the media event is now named, Champions Day also included a virtual appearance by Mr. Campbell, who was introduced by Wendy Williams, the JDC volunteer chair, who noted his strong ties to Illinois and Midwest golf. Among his early accolades was a Big Ten Player of the Year honor.
He is the first Illini alum to win the JDC since Steve Stricker, who won three consecutive JDCs – a tournament record – in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Present via a large television screen in the clubhouse, Mr. Campbell participated in a question-and-answer session Tuesday, led by Barry Cronin, the JDC’s longtime media director. Mr. Campbell, who won twice on the PGA Tour last year – including before an excited JDC Midwest crowd, spoke about that playoff win, his Illinois connections, the many injuries endured in the past year, and his enthusiasm to return and defend his title.
After watching a highlight video of his 2025 performance with the gathering, Mr. Campbell quipped how “I kinda forgot it rained during that round.”
Also reminded of a disappointing double bogey, he said “(Hole) 15 didn’t go the way I wanted but we were still in there and pulled it out in the end.”
Quizzed if he had any superstitions or traditions when prepping for a tournament, he said “I’d say I’m a little ‘stitious,’ not superstitious.” Though he did admit he always uses the same ball marker and lines up each shot the exact same.
The 33-year-old Mr. Campbell also got more personal, speaking of his former University of Illinois Men’s Golf Coach Mike Small, and the leg injuries he still is recovering from that have led to neck and shoulder problems. He even confirmed how his then girlfriend Kelsi McGee, who was present for his win last year, will become his wife later this year — in the off-season.
Asked about his game this year, he said “It’s not great statistics-wise. I really don’t pay attention to that, it’s (about) the larger picture for me. But I know there is (still) good golf I can play.”
After seeing his highlight video the first time Tuesday, Mr. Campbell said “Just seeing how it was the most amount of fans I’ve ever had cheer for me during a tournament… “You know, it’s, which is something that you crave and you want to get that again.”
