John Deere Classic — Week Preview
The John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run returns for another year of competition. Chris Gotterup arrives as the lead featured player with a +0.4 strokes-gained advantage off the tee.
Source: NWS forecast (Silvis, IL) as of July 1, 2026. Conditions subject to change.
| Year | Champion | Score | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Brian Campbell Defending | -18 | Playoff |
| 2024 | Davis Thompson | -28 | Tournament record |
| 2023 | Sepp Straka | -21 | |
| 2022 | J.T. Poston | -21 | |
| 2021 | Lucas Glover | -19 | |
| 2020 | CANCELLED | — | |
| 2019 | Dylan Frittelli | -21 | |
| 2018 | Michael Kim | -27 |
* = won in a playoff.
| Year | Finish | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | -36 |
| 2017 | T12 | -26 |
Brian Campbell won the 2025 John Deere Classic with a par-4 on the first playoff hole at No. 18. He defeated Emiliano Grillo in the playoff to secure the victory. Campbell now defends his title as a four-time John Deere Classic competitor overall. His previous appearances included a missed cut in 2015, a T12 finish in 2017, and the 2025 championship.
Through 18 starts this season, Campbell has recorded just one top-25 finish. That solitary finish came at the Masters Tournament, where he tied for 24th place. Despite the limited consistency, his recent victories demonstrate his ability to perform when it matters most.
Campbell has become a two-time PGA TOUR winner after 2025. Both of his career victories came in 2025 and both required playoff competition. The Mexico Open at VidantaWorld served as his first breakthrough victory of the year. The John Deere Classic provided his second triumph, cementing his resurgent campaign.
Campbell played four seasons at the University of Illinois from 2011 to 2015. He won four times individually during his collegiate career with the Fighting Illini. Beyond individual success, Campbell helped Illinois capture team titles at three Big Ten Conference Championships. The program claimed those conference titles in 2012, 2013, and 2015.
| Year | Finish | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | T21 | -26 |
| 2024 | CUT | -6 |
| 2022 | T4 | -34 |
Gotterup arrives at the John Deere Classic for his fourth career start. He finished T4 in 2022 and missed the cut in 2024. Last year he placed T21 at this venue.
This season, Gotterup has made 16 starts and secured four top-10 finishes. He earned two victories: the Sony Open in Hawaii and the WM Phoenix Open. He ranks among four players with multiple wins on tour this season. Matt Fitzpatrick leads with three victories. Cameron Young and Wyndham Clark each own two wins.
Gotterup enters the week as the field’s highest-ranked player. He sits at No. 14 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
| Year | Finish | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | T44 | -16 |
| 2024 | T26 | -30 |
| 2023 | T35 | -20 |
| 2022 | T60 | -10 |
| 2021 | T34 | -20 |
Zach Johnson returns to the John Deere Classic for his 24th tournament appearance at the venue. Throughout his history there, Johnson has compiled seven top-10 finishes, including a victory in 2012. His consistency at this event underscores his mastery of the course and conditions.
Johnson’s transition to PGA TOUR Champions has been remarkably successful in his first season. He owns top-10 finishes in all eight of his starts on the senior circuit. His performance highlights include two victories: the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational and the Principal Charity Classic.
As a Cedar Rapids, Iowa native, Johnson has established himself as a fixture at the John Deere Classic. He holds the most made cuts in tournament history with 20 total. Johnson currently boasts 17 consecutive made cuts at the John Deere Classic spanning from 2008 to 2025.
| Year | Finish | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | T11 | -30 |
Jackson Koivun makes his professional debut and first appearance as a PGA Tour member. The San Jose, California native earned PGA Tour membership through PGA Tour University Accelerated. This program rewards high-achieving college juniors, sophomores, or freshmen with membership opportunities. Players must demonstrate accomplishments in college, amateur, or professional golf events.
Koivun crossed the required 20-point threshold during his sophomore year at Auburn. He achieved this milestone with a top-10 finish at the 2025 NCAA Championship. Following his junior season, he elected to accept Tour membership after leading the Tigers to their second national championship in three years. Koivun joins Gordon Sargent and Luke Clanton as the only players earning membership through PGA Tour University Accelerated.
He will make his first professional start on Tour at the John Deere Classic. This marks his second start at this venue overall. His only Tour start this season came at the U.S. Open. He finished T23 and shared low amateur honors alongside Ryder Cowan.
Koivun owns three top-10 finishes across 10 career Tour starts in 2025. He finished T6 at the ISCO Championship, T5 at the Wyndham Championship, and T4 at the Procore Championship. Koivun’s father, George, grew up in Moline and spent significant time in the Quad Cities.
| Year | Finish | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | T26 | -30 |
Jordan Spieth arrives at TPC Deere Run for his sixth tournament appearance as a two-time champion. He captured victories here in 2013 and 2015, demonstrating mastery of this course.
Spieth’s 2015 victory came after an impressive third-round 61. This round placed him among exclusive company at TPC Deere Run. Only three players have carded 61 or better at this venue and won: J.P. Hayes in 2002, Steve Stricker in 2009, and Steve Stricker again in 2010. Four instances total of this achievement exist in tournament history.
This season has produced eight top-25 finishes across 17 starts for Spieth. His best results include two T11 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and the Valspar Championship.
Spieth, a 13-time TOUR winner, seeks to reclaim his winning form. His last victory came at the 2022 RBC Heritage. Most recently, he posted a T7 finish at the 2025 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, marking his first top-10 on TOUR since that event.
Preston Stout, the new No. 1-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, makes his tournament debut at the John Deere Classic. He received a sponsor exemption to compete in the event.
Stout has recorded three PGA TOUR starts. He missed the cut at the 2025 3M Open. He missed the cut at the 2026 CJ CUP Byron Nelson. He missed the cut at the 2026 U.S. Open.
The Oklahoma State junior claimed the 2026 NCAA Individual title in June. He finished his season with five wins, the most by a junior in program history.
Course Guide — TPC Deere Run
Par 71 / 7327 yards. Hole difficulty ranked 1–18 (hardest to easiest) based on 2012 stroke averages. Descriptions by D.A. Weibring, course designer.
| Hole | Yards | Par | Avg | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Grand Detour | 395 | 4 | 3.862 | 14 |
| Short par 4 with an uphill tee shot to a generous, bunker-framed fairway. The green sits among a stand of oaks — about as approachable as this course gets. | ||||
| 2 Colonel Davenport | 561 | 5 | 4.395 | 18 |
| Downhill tee shot to a fairway 50 feet below makes this hole play much shorter than its listed length. Reachable in two with a good drive, but the tight entrance is guarded by wetland bunkers and trees. | ||||
| 3 Stone House | 186 | 3 | 3.104 | 3 |
| Uphill par 3 that plays much longer than the scorecard suggests. Bunkers guard the right side while a bentgrass collection area swallows shots that go long and left. Club selection is everything. | ||||
| 4 Friendship Farm | 454 | 4 | 3.909 | 11 |
| A lone oak in the middle of the fairway forces a decision off the tee. The green sits at one of the highest points on the course — miss it left, right, or long, and an up-and-down is far from guaranteed. | ||||
| 5 Lincoln’s Crossing | 433 | 4 | 3.946 | 10 |
| A long, straight drive left of center is essential. Trees crowd the right on the approach, and the green sits behind a ravine loaded with bunkers and guarded on all sides by timber. | ||||
| 6 William Butterworth | 367 | 4 | 3.952 | 9 |
| The second-shortest par 4 on the course is also the tightest. Carved out of the forest, it is short on length but long on danger. A large swale and bunkers front the green; miss it and the chip is treacherous. | ||||
| 7 Timber Ridge | 226 | 3 | 3.080 | 5 |
| The longest par 3 and most picturesque hole on the course. Into the prevailing wind, even the best players are tested. You can fly it to the green or bounce off the right bunker and let it feed down. | ||||
| 8 Sanctuary | 428 | 4 | 4.004 | 7 |
| Tee shot through a chute of trees to a tight, narrow fairway. The small green is ringed by bunkers and demands a precise approach — one tongue on the front creates one of the toughest pin positions on the course. | ||||
| 9 Howitzer | 503 | 4 | 4.214 | 1 |
| The hardest hole on the course and the longest par 4. A level drive sets up a shot through the trees to a long green with bunkers on both sides. There is no margin for error here. | ||||
| 10 Cor-Ten | 596 | 5 | 4.702 | 15 |
| A long par 5 that opens up off the tee, but the green is unusually small for the length. No room for error on the third shot — bunkers protect the left side, a pond the right. | ||||
| 11 Jump Start | 432 | 4 | 4.060 | 6 |
| Looks benign from the tee but demands length and accuracy. The approach plays to a demanding green perched on the edge of a ravine, where a courtesy bunker right is the only thing saving most balls from a watery grave. | ||||
| 12 Master Stroke | 215 | 3 | 2.985 | 8 |
| A long par 3 through a tree-lined corridor to one of the bigger greens on the course. Don’t be deceived by the size — there is trouble all around it, and missing this green in any direction means a difficult recovery. | ||||
| 13 Poppin’ Johnnie | 424 | 4 | 3.892 | 13 |
| One of the friendlier holes on the course. Bunkers flank both sides of the fairway, but the green in front of a tree stand is guarded only by a large bunker right and a grass berm left — birdie opportunities here. | ||||
| 14 Deere Run | 361 | 4 | 3.667 | 16 |
| The ultimate risk/reward hole. It is driveable, but miss left and you are in the ‘valley of sin’ — a tightly mown hollow leaving a blind chip. Go long over the flag and you will be lost down a 60-foot bluff. | ||||
| 15 Coaltown | 484 | 4 | 4.102 | 4 |
| The toughest hole on the back nine. Long and tight, with a narrow green heavily guarded by sand and timber on all sides. This hole separates contenders from pretenders late in the week. | ||||
| 16 Mother Earth | 158 | 3 | 2.896 | 12 |
| The signature hole. A picturesque short par 3 on a bluff 40 feet above the Rock River. Guarded front by a deep ravine, right by a large bunker, and left by the river itself — it may be short, but every number is possible. | ||||
| 17 Stadium | 569 | 5 | 4.605 | 17 |
| Reachable in two for long hitters, but only with a perfectly placed tee shot down the tight, tree-lined fairway. The elevated green is surrounded by bentgrass collection areas — miss it anywhere and par is a grind. | ||||
| 18 Conquistador | 476 | 4 | 4.173 | 2 |
| A great, demanding finishing hole. Drive it long and straight left to avoid the fairway bunker, then face a long approach to a deep, narrow green guarded right by two large bunkers and left by a pond. Champions are made here. | ||||
Source: JDC Hole Description & History / D.A. Weibring
Tournament Records
The John Deere Classic returns to the Quad Cities for its 54th year, with TPC Deere Run serving as host venue for the 26th consecutive year. John Deere is the PGA TOUR’s second-longest running title sponsor, active since 1998, behind only AT&T, which began sponsoring in 1986.
Course modifications have reshaped Hole No. 4 significantly following the loss of the Hewitt Tree that previously divided the landing zone. The fairway was narrowed with two new fairway bunkers installed on the right side. The existing fairway bunker on the left was relocated 40 yards closer to the tee. A new professional tee was added 35 yards further back and to the left to accommodate the new bunkers and fairway recontouring. All sod work was completed prior to June 1 and is now being actively cultured to blend with existing turf. Full establishment and recovery will depend on favorable weather patterns leading into the tournament.
The field features nine past champions competing this week: Jonathan Byrd (2007), Zach Johnson (2012), Jordan Spieth (2013, 2015), Michael Kim (2018), Dylan Frittelli (2019), Lucas Glover (2021), J.T. Poston (2022), Davis Thompson (2024), and Brian Campbell (2025). Eight of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking are in the field: Chris Gotterup (No. 14), Ben Griffin (No. 16), Jacob Bridgeman (No. 27), J.T. Poston (No. 32), Keegan Bradley (No. 38), Rickie Fowler (No. 42), Daniel Berger (No. 47), and Michael Kim (No. 48). Sixteen of the top 50 players from the 2025 FedExCup are competing, led by Keegan Bradley (7th), Chris Gotterup (T10), and Ben Griffin (T10).
Five first-time winners have emerged in the first 25 TOUR events this season: Jacob Bridgeman (The Genesis Invitational), Ricky Castillo (Puerto Rico Open), Alex Fitzpatrick (Zurich Classic of New Orleans), Kristoffer Reitan (Truist Championship), and Bud Cauley (RBC Canadian Open). Davis Thompson made the John Deere Classic his first TOUR title in 2024. The 54-hole leader or co-leader has won 10 of 25 individual stroke-play events on TOUR this season, including Viktor Hovland in his Monday playoff victory at last week’s Travelers Championship.
Source: PGA TOUR Media