The John Deere Classic announced it has awarded exemptions to two top young stars to play in this year’s PGA Tour tournament at TPC Deere Run, Silvis.
The exemptions, announced Wednesday, June 14, will allow Gordon Sargent and Michael Thorbjornsen to join the growing field. The pair also are competing in this week’s U.S. Open.
“The John Deere Classic is proud to have granted exemptions to Gordon Sargent and Michael Thorbjornsen after each requested to play in this year’s tournament,” JDC tournament Director Andrew Lehman said in a news release. “We’re very excited to welcome two players who have proven themselves time and again to be among the best on the world amateur circuit.”
According to the JDC, the pair distinguished themselves with their stellar amateur records both in college tournaments and in the most demanding and competitive amateur events.
Mr. Lehman added that the move continues the tournament’s “tradition of providing playing opportunities to rising young stars.”
Mr. Sargent, 20, of Birmingham, Alabama, won the 2022 NCAA individual championship as a freshman and received the Phil Mickelson Award for freshman of the year. He has been ranked No. 1 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and received a special invitation to play in the 2023 Masters, which was the first time the tournament has issued a special invitation since 2000. He was runner up to Mr. Thorbjornsen at the 2021 Western Amateur and played on the U.S. Palmer Cup team in 2022 and 2023.
Mr. Thorbjornsen, 21, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, just completed his junior year at Stanford, where he won the Pac-12 Conference title earlier this year and led the Cardinal team to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona. He also was the winner of the 2021 Western Amateur and the 2018 U.S. Junior Championship, for which he received an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Open. In 2019 U.S. Open, he made the cut at Pebble Beach. He also played for the U.S. Palmer Cup squad in 2022.
Since 2000, the Quad Cities PGA Tour event has awarded exemptions to such future major champions as Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, Jason Day, Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. Other PGA Tour winners who received exemptions include Charles Howell III, Matt Kuchar, Nick Watney, Camilo Villegas, Wyndham Clark, Nick Hardy and Viktor Hovland.
Defending Champion J.T. Poston will return to the JDC for the tournament’s 52nd edition from July 5-9. In a wire-to-wire victory, Mr. Poston won by three shots in 2022 with a 21-under par total for the 72-hole event.
The tournament will offer a $7.4 million purse, an increase of $300,000. Since its founding in 1971, the tournament has helped raise more than $159.57 million for charity including through its Birdies for Charity program.
