This year’s John Deere Classic isn’t just falling on the 4th of July again — it’s landing on the country’s 250th birthday.
“A fun wrinkle,” is how Tournament Director Andrew Lehman put it.
While the Quad Cities PGA Tour event now centers around Independence Day every year, Mr. Lehman said “To have such a milestone birthday for the country and to have us be able to celebrate that here is really cool.”
The past few years the event and host course TPC Deere Run, Silvis, have adopted more of a patriotic theme as well as look and feel. But this year, the thousands of spectators arriving Saturday will find even more holiday inspired fun.
“Golf is not a sport that really allows you a 7 p.m. kickoff or a 7 p.m. first pitch,” he told the QCBJ on Thursday, July 2, the first day of tournament play. “Golf’s going on all day and we’ve tried to find a window of time we can celebrate appropriately.”
That window will be about 5:45 p.m. Saturday ahead of the Concert on the Course with Carrie Underwood.
But spectators and everyone else involved are encouraged to don their favorite red, white and blue clothing.
That same colorful show was front and center at the FIFA World Cup games when the USA soccer team advanced with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. “The World Cup game last night was awesome, all the folks dressed up,” Mr. Lehman said, hoping the Red, White & Blue Out recreates the same effect on Saturday.
All around the course already are nods to the big day. Both the entrances of TPC Deere Run and Deere & Co. World Headquarters (down the road in Moline) are lined with dozens of American flags. Displays honoring the military, a Folds of Honor Friday and special military and first responder programs are all part of this year’s festivities.
Also joining the fun, Mr. Lehman said will be the St. Ambrose University marching band, which will play the national anthem as a crew of 44 people unfurl a 40-feet by 80-feet American flag. The presentation is sponsored by Gallagher Risk Management Services.
Then the Folds of Honor parachute team will land on the 18th fareway. And of course, look for some ground-level fireworks.
Of the Patriot Parachute Team, Mr. Lehman said “The cool thing about that is the parachute team gave us a tandem jump to auction off.”
The auction for the once-in-a-lifetime experience raised $5,000 for the Birdies for Charity Bonus Fund.
While the winner still is a secret – to all but two of his friends, Mr. Lehman (who did not want any part of jumping) said “What a unique opportunity to say ‘Hey, I parachuted into the John Deere Classic on the 4th of July, on America 250, right before Carrie Underwood concert. It can’t happen anywhere else in the country.’”
