The John Deere Classic pro-am golf tournament is today in Silvis at TPC Deere Run, and a University of Iowa basketball star is one of the headliners. George McNeilly explains.
The John Deere Classic will retain its place on the PGA Tour calendar in 2024 and will be played two weeks before The Open Championship, as it was this year for the first time. J.T. Poston will be back as the defending champion of the 52nd edition of the Quad Cities-based tournament Poston finished with a three-shot victory last year, totaling 21-under par for the 72-hole event. He says his win last year in the Classic was a tough one he had to earn.
The tournament offers a $7.4 million purse, and three exemptions into the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England. The John Deere Classic includes Birdies for Charity, a non-profit organization. Since its founding in 1971, the tournament has helped raise more than $133 million for charity.
Local favorite, Zach Johnson from Cedar Rapids, Iowa will tee off tomorrow morning at 7:40 from the 10th tee. Johnson won the tournament in 2012.
Morton-native and University of Illinois standout golfer Tommy Kuhl will be making his PGA Tour debut. Kuhl was first team All-Big Ten in 2022 and 2023 and helped lead the Illini to the NCAA Championship, where he finished T-7 individually. He finished No. 15 in the PGA Tour University rankings and has been playing on PGA Tour Canada.
We’ll have updates on the tournament starting tomorrow morning on the WRAM/WMOI Sports Reports.
***Photo courtesy of ABC News***
