NCAA champion Michael La Sasso, No. 2-ranked amateur Jackson Koivun and No. 3-ranked Ben James have been awarded sponsor exemptions to play in this year’s John Deere Classic, July 2-6, at TPC Deere Run, tournament officials announced Thursday, May 29.
Mr. La Sasso, a junior from the University of Mississippi, won the NCAA individual title by two strokes on Monday, May 26, shooting a 72-hole total of 11-under par on the North Course at the Omni LaCosta Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. In doing so, the First Team All-American earned exemptions into this month’s U.S. Open and next year’s Masters.
A native of Raleigh, N.C., Mr. La Sasso has become something of a social media sensation because of his super-athletic “new school” golf swing and his extra-large, shorts-defying quadricep muscles. He also is a member of this year’s Arnold Palmer Cup team, which faces off against Europe, June 5-7, at Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have three of the very best amateurs in the world playing in this year’s John Deere Classic,” said tournament director Andrew Lehman. “For decades the John Deere Classic has been identifying the world’s elite young players and inviting them to start their careers here in the Quad Cities. From Zach Johnson to Jordan Spieth and from Jon Rahm to Justin Thomas, future major champions have walked the fairways of Deere Run, and our fans love it.”
Koivun most decorated
Mr. Koivun, who will be returning for his junior year at Auburn, is the most decorated player of the three, having earned his PGA Tour card, May 26, by virtue of his outstanding performance in both collegiate and PGA Tour events over the last two years.
He made the cut at the 2024 Memorial and at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational as well as the Farmers Insurance Open.
Mr. Koivun, who was raised in Chapel Hill, N.C., recently won his second consecutive SEC championship and finished T-4 in the NCAA individual competition. He, too, is a member of the Palmer Cup team and, if he maintains his No. 2 World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), he will be an automatic Walker Cup selection.
As a freshman, Mr. Koivun swept all four major collegiate awards – the Fred Haskins Award (most outstanding golfer/ Heisman Trophy of college golf), Jack Nicklaus Award (national player of the year), Phil Mickelson Award (outstanding freshman) and the Ben Hogan Award (Golf Coaches Association of America’s Best College Golfer). He was a First Team All-American in 2024 and 2025.
Mr. James, who will be returning to Virginia for his senior year, finished T-2 at the NCAAs last week and helped lead the Cavaliers to the NCCA Finals, where they finished runner up, with James winning his match.
The No. 3 WAGR status of the three-time First Team All-American is based on his two collegiate victories this year, 18 top 10 finishes, a fifth-place finish in stroke play at the Western Amateur, and qualifying for match play at the U.S. Amateur two consecutive years.
He has played in five professional events, including last year’s U.S. Open, and made two cuts.
Exemptions & champs
Since the year 2000, the John Deere Classic has awarded exemptions to such future major champions as Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, Jason Day, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, 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, Nick Hardy, and Viktor Hovland.
The 54th edition of the Quad Cities-based PGA Tour event will be conducted July 2-6 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis with Davis Thompson as defending champion. The tournament will offer an $8.4 million purse.
