Jordan Spieth, two-time winner of the John Deere Classic, three-time major champion and a Quad Cities fan favorite, will return to Silvis’ TPC at Deere Run on July 3-7 for this year’s JDC.
That will mark Mr. Spieth’s fifth trip to the PGA Tour event since he made his first cut at the JDC playing as an amateur on a sponsor exemption in 2012.
“We are thrilled to have Jordan Spieth back at the John Deere Classic,” Tournament Director Andrew Lehman said in a JDC news release. “Jordan is a favorite amongst Quad Citians and we expect thousands of them will be here to greet him and show their support.”
Mr. Spieth will compete in a field that, as of this writing, includes 11 of the top 50 players on tour. (That’s up from nine last year.) The 2024 JDC players will compete in the 53rd edition of a Quad Cities PGA Tour event that will feature an $8 million purse and the return of defending JDC champ Sepp Straka.
“I am really looking forward to returning to the Quad Cities and playing in the John Deere Classic,” Mr. Spieth said in the release. “TPC Deere Run holds special memories for me, professionally and personally, and I can’t wait to return with my family to relive many of them and pursue another win.”
First tour win at JDC
Mr. Spieth’s history with the tournament dates back 12 years when he made his first PGA Tour cut on a JDC sponsor exemption. And it includes when, at age 19, Mr. Spieth became the youngest winner on the tour since 1931 after winning his first PGA Tour title at Deere Run in 2013. That year, he wowed the crowds by coming from six shots behind in the final round and holing a stunning bunker shot on the 18th green that would get him into a three-man playoff, the news release said. He went on to win by parring the fourth hole of sudden death (18th), defeating David Hearn and Zach Johnson.
The victory also put his PGA Tour career into high gear, the JDC said and by his fourth visit to the Quad Cities in 2015, he had already won that year’s Masters and U.S. Open. He added his second JDC title and another playoff win with a par on the second hole of sudden death (18th) over journeyman Tom Gillis, the JDC release said.
Spieth notched 13 tour wins
Mr. Spieth continued his pursuit of the single-year Grand Slam at the 2015 British Open at St. Andrews but missed making a playoff by one stroke. Zach Johnson, the 2012 John Deere Classic champion, won the playoff. (In Mr. Spieth’s 2014 JDC title defense, he finished tied for seventh.) Mr. Spieth’s third major championship victory came in 2017 when he won the British Open at Royal Birkdale.
In all, Mr. Spieth boasts 13 PGA Tour victories, 18 runner-ups and 54 top 10s. He also won the Australian Open in 2014 and 2016. Mr. Spieth has been a member of five Ryder Cup teams and four Presidents Cup teams. He currently is ranked 29th in the world and 54 in FedExCup points.
The John Deere Classic, which includes Birdies for Charity, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in the John Deere Classic tournament offices at 15623 Coaltown Road, East Moline, Illinois. Since its founding in 1971 the tournament has helped raise $174 million for charity.
