The First Look: John Deere Classic

It’s the 53rd playing of the John Deere Classic, and with just five weeks remaining before the FedExCup Playoffs there’s not much time left to bank valuable FedExCup points.

Jordan Spieth, a two-time winner at the John Deere – more on him below – returns to TPC Deere Run, the site of his first TOUR win. Jason Day is in the field, too, for the first time in over a decade.

We’re entering a busy stretch on the PGA TOUR, with The Open Championship, the Olympics, the FedExCup Playoffs and the Presidents Cup all still to come.

Here’s everything you need to know as the PGA TOUR returns to the Quad Cities.

FIELD NOTES: Jordan Spieth makes his return to the John Deere Classic for the first time since 2015. Spieth is a two-time winner at TPC Deere Run including in his last appearance nine years ago when he shot a third-round 61. Spieth’s 2013 victory at the John Deere was his first TOUR title … Sepp Straka aims to become the first repeat winner at the John Deere since Steve Stricker won three in a row from 2009-11. Straka has three top-five finishes this season … Jason Day returns to TPC Deere Run for the first time since 2011. Day has never missed the cut at the John Deere in five appearances, with his best finish (T15) coming in back-to-back years, 2009-10. Day has four top-10s this season … Michael Thorbjornsen continues to find his way as a pro after finishing atop the PGA TOUR University ranking to earn his TOUR card. Thorbjornsen finished T39 at the Travelers Championship but missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He finished T17 at the John Deere Classic last season when he got into the field on a sponsor exemption … Sungjae Im, eager for another spot on the International Team at the Presidents Cup, is back at TPC Deere Run for the first time since 2021. Im has five top-10s this season and made the cut in both of his previous John Deere Classic starts.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Luke Clanton, the standout from Florida State who made the cut at the U.S. Open and contended at the Rocket Mortgage Classic before a 72 on Sunday (T10), will try to stay hot at the John Deere … Harry Higgs has won twice already on the Korn Ferry Tour, securing his PGA TOUR return next season. This will be his sixth TOUR start this season … Jackson Buchanan, the Big Ten Golfer of the Year in 2024, will make his non-major PGA TOUR debut. Buchanan, a junior at the University of Illinois, missed the cut at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst … Cole Sherwood will make his PGA TOUR debut after playing two Korn Ferry Tour events and last week’s PGA TOUR Americas event. Sherwood, who finished No. 7 on the PGA TOUR University rankings, helped Vanderbilt win seven team titles this season and was All-SEC First Team … Neal Shipley is back in action after finishing T20 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Shipley finished as Low Amateur at both the Masters and the U.S. Open before turning professional … Andrew Landry, Adam Long and Kyle Westmoreland round out the sponsor exemptions.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10: There was no movement inside the TOUR TOP 10 last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, with Scottie Scheffler continuing his strong hold on the top spot … Byeong Hun An continues his impressive run as the only golfer to be inside the TOUR TOP 10 every week so far this season … Akshay Bhatia, who finished tied for second at Detroit Golf Club, moved from No. 15 to No. 11 in the standings, just 14 points back of An at No. 10 … There are five weeks remaining before the FedExCup Playoffs.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points

COURSE: TPC Deere Run, par 71, 7,289 yards. D.A. Weibring, a three-time winner of the John Deere Classic, utilized the best of the Mid-Mississippi River Valley landscape for TPC Deere Run. There’s an old-time feel with the course, established in 1998, with plenty of birdie opportunities but risk/reward scenarios as well. There’s lots of dramatic elevation on the course, which used to be an Arabian horse farm. The club has played host to the PGA TOUR since 2000.

72-HOLE RECORD: 257, Michael Kim (2018)

18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Paul Goydos (Round 1, 2010)

LAST TIME: Straka fired a 9-under 62 Sunday – tied for low round of the week – to win the 2023 John Deere by two over Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley. Straka zipped up 13 spots on the leaderboard to capture his second TOUR title by two shots despite making a double bogey on his final hole. At one point, Straka was 11-under for the day and just needed to play the final four holes in 1-under to shoot 59. He ended up missing a 9-foot birdie try on No. 17 before finding the water with his approach on No. 18. It ended up being a moot point. Adam Schenk and Ludvig Åberg, in his fourth start as a pro, tied for fourth.

How to follow (all times ET)

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Spanish-language main feed: Primary tournament coverage presented in Spanish featuring the best action from across the course
• Spanish-language featured group: PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups presented in Spanish

Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.