
The John Deere Classic will host its first Folds of Honor recognition on Friday, July 5, during the PGA Tour event’s second round at TPC at Deere Run in Silvis.
The 2024 JDC marks the 53rd edition of the Quad Cities PGA event. This year’s tournament runs from July 1-7. The 2023 champion Sepp Straka will defend his title. The tournament will offer an $8 million purse this year.
“The John Deere Classic is excited to partner with an organization like Folds of Honor whose mission is focused not only on honoring our military and first responders but in actively helping to improve their family members’ lives through education,” JDC Tournament Director Andrew Lehman said in a news release.
According to the JDC, the tournament’s long-standing Lowe’s Military Ticket program will allow complimentary admission for active, retired, veteran status military personnel and one guest throughout the week.
Military ticket holders and First Responders are invited to view the tournament from the Patriots’ Outpost hospitality area overlooking the 18th green. It will be open from 10 a.m. until the conclusion of play.
Among Friday’s highlights will be the singing of the National Anthem on the No. 1 tee along with a flag raising, a special flyover and a ceremonial tee shot before the Friday’s first Friday also will be a Red, White & Blue Out. JDC fans are encouraged to outfit themselves in America’s patriotic colors. Folds of Honor pins and ribbons will be distributed at the main entry gate beginning at 6 a.m. Friday while supplies last.
Scholarship awards
In addition, Folds of Honor will award 13 scholarships to Illinois and Iowa recipients in August.
“We are grateful to the John Deere Classic for celebrating Folds of Honor Friday, honoring service and helping bring the National Anthem to golf,” said Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, the founder and CEO of Folds of Honor. “Through their inclusion in this initiative, local scholars will receive the gift of an education.”
Quad Cities companies also are helping to fund the scholarships. GreenState Credit Union and Modern Woodmen of America are presenting sponsors. Additional support is being provided by Smart Automotive, Cantrell’s Towing, Fred’s Towing, Crystal Group, Moline Regional Community Foundation, Iowa Healthcare and Pro Em National Event Services.
Representing Folds of Honor will be on-site speaker Elizabeth “Lis” Brees, whose father – a Navy lieutenant pilot originally from Chicago – was killed in 2000 while in the Navy’s elite Test Pilot school. A Folds of Honor scholarship recipient, she plans to apply to medical school this year to pursue a career in maternal-fetal medicine.
Folds of Honor is a leading non-profit organization that provides educational scholarships for children of fallen or disabled American military service members and first responders.
Since its founding in 2007 by Lt. Col. Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot and PGA golf professional, the organization has awarded more than 52,000 scholarships, totaling about $244 million in educational impact. In Illinois, Folds of Honor has awarded 1,468 scholarships and 282 in Iowa.