Iowa women’s basketball standout and national star Caitlin Clark will play the John Deere Classic Pro-Am on Wednesday, July 5.
Dubbed the best player in women’s college basketball and the star of the recent NCAA tournament, Ms. Clark will join a group led by fellow Iowa native Zach Johnson, a JDC hometown favorite, the JDC announced Thursday.
Ms. Clark, whose Iowa Hawkeyes made it to the women’s college basketball finals before falling to defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks, also is a “hard-core golf enthusiast,” the JDC said in a news release.
JDC Tournament Director Andrew Lehman said she will play with Mr. Johnson and three other amateurs at TPC Deere Run, home of the John Deere Classic. She also will participate in the tournament’s popular annual Youth Clinic at 3 p.m. at the driving range after her round.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring our fans the opportunity to see Caitlin Clark and Zach Johnson, two Iowa sports heroes, play in the John Deere Classic Pro-Am at TPC Deere Run,” Mr. Lehman said in the release. “Zach has been the face of the tournament for many years and Caitlin’s presence will bring a jolt of electricity to the grounds and help us introduce youngsters and non-golf fans to this great game.”
A native of Des Moines, Ms. Clark, 21, is the Hawkeyes’ 6-foot point guard and was named Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year. She has won numerous other awards during an outstanding season, including the Wooden Award National Player of the Year, Associated Press Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year, U.S. Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year, The Athletic National Player of the Year Award and Academic All-America of the Year.
Mr. Johnson, who is originally from Cedar Rapids, is a 12-time PGA Tour winner, including two major championships, the 2007 Masters, the 2015 British Open at St. Andrews and the JDC in 2012. He has referred to the “hometown” tournament as his “fifth major” in the past, and is a member of the local tournament’s board of directors.
The multiple-time player and Ryder Cup vice-captain also will lead the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup to be played in Rome in September.
Mr. Johnson, who played college golf at Drake, is an enthusiastic supporter of Iowa Hawkeye sports and served as an honorary captain of the football team in 2015. He is a virtual shoo-in for the World Golf Hall of Fame, the news release said.
Tickets for the tournament, including the Wednesday Pro-Am, may be purchased at johndeereclassic.com. Youngsters ages 15 and under are admitted for free with a paid adult.
The 52nd edition of the Quad Cities-based PGA Tour event will be conducted July 5-9 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, with J.T. Poston as defending champion. 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.
The John Deere Classic, which includes Birdies for Charity, is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization in East Moline. Since its founding in 1971, the tournament has helped raise more than $159.57 million for charity.
