Temps de lecture : 4 min
Points clés à retenir
- Event Background: The John Deere Classic has been a PGA Tour staple since 1971, hosted at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, and typically precedes The Open Championship.
- Format: A 72-hole stroke-play event with a cut after 36 holes to the top 65 players and ties.
- Notable Winners: D.A. Weibring and Steve Stricker lead with three wins each; Jordan Spieth and others have multiple titles.
The Tradition of the John Deere Classic
Here’s the thing nobody talks about: the John Deere Classic isn’t a major, but it’s one of the most quietly significant events on the PGA Tour. I’ve been watching this tournament since before GPS yardage books existed. It’s the kind of place where a young man can make a name for himself—and a lot of veterans have done just that.
The event started in 1971 as the Quad Cities Open Invitational, bouncing around a few host clubs before settling at TPC Deere Run in 2000. It’s a classic Midwestern course—tree-lined, with bentgrass that holds approach shots fair. I played four rounds there in 2003, and let me tell you, it demands precision off the tee and a soft touch from 125 yards in. Bobby Jones would have appreciated the balance.
Tournament Format
The format hasn’t changed much since Snead took a five-iron to Winged Foot. Open field of 156 players (mostly Tour pros, sponsor exemptions, and qualifying school survivors) play 18 holes each on Thursday and Friday. Then the field gets sliced to the top 65 and ties. Saturday and Sunday are for the grind—low score wins, no playoffs unless necessary. Walk the course for 72 holes. You’ll understand.
I’ve played that shot a thousand times: the Sunday pressure on a long par 4 with the wind off the Mississippi. The John Deere Classic tests you without being cruel. It’s honest. The game doesn’t owe you anything, but this course gives you a chance.
Host Courses Through the Years
As with any tournament that sticks around long enough, the John Deere Classic has moved a few times. Here’s the list I keep in my notebook:
- 1971-1974: Crow Valley Country Club (Davenport, Iowa)
- 1975-1999: Oakwood Country Club (Coal Valley, Illinois)
- 2000-present: TPC Deere Run (Silvis, Illinois)
Of those, Oakwood was a track that demanded a good short game—I remember watching a rain-soaked 1988 playoff where the winner chipped in from a collection area. Crow Valley is a classic parkland layout, the kind of place you walk with a cigar and a caddy. TPC Deere Run is the modern answer: longer, tougher, but still playable for a guy who grew up on Hogan’s *Five Lessons*.
History of Names & Sponsors
The tournament has worn more names than a hustler’s aliases. It started as the Quad Cities Open Invitational in 1971, then went through a string of corporate tags—Miller High Life, Hardee’s, and others—before John Deere stepped in for good. I remember watching the 1995 event when it was still the Quad City Classic; the energy was different back then, more like a local county fair than a corporate outing. That’s still there, under the tractors and logos.
Player Records & Notable Winners
Some of the biggest names in the game have won here. D.A. Weibring and Steve Stricker share the tournament record with three wins each. Stricker’s run from 2009 to 2011 was something like watching a master class in course management—he’d play the par 5s with the patience of a man who knew the yardages by memory. Scott Hoch, David Frost, and Jordan Spieth each won twice. Spieth’s first victory came here in 2013, and I told my buddy at the bar that night: that kid’s going to win a major. I was right.
Other winners include the names that built the modern game: Deane Beman, John Cook, Vijay Singh. Each one had their own way of doing it. That’s not a tip—that’s a truth: consistency on Tour comes from knowing yourself, not from any gadget.
What Makes This Event Special
I could give you the usual reasons—great community support, a Donald Ross-inspired layout, a spot just before the Open Championship—but here’s what I really think: the John Deere Classic is the last of a vanishing breed. It’s an event that hasn’t been swallowed by TV timeouts and mandatory cart rules. The fans walk the grounds. The players walk the course. There’s a silence on the back nine on a Sunday morning that you won’t find at any big-money invitational. Bobby Jones figured this out in 1928: the game is best played on foot, with a strategy in your head and a club in your hand.
I remember one year—1997, I think—I was in the gallery when a young unknown made a hole-in-one on the 16th. The crowd didn’t wait for a TV signal; they just cheered. That’s the John Deere Classic: authentic, loud when it matters, quiet when it doesn’t. Walk the course. You’ll understand.
Playing golf since before GPS rangefinders existed. Eddie covers the classic game — courses, technique, and the stories worth keeping.