Patrick Flavin's Cinderella run returns home for John Deere Classic

SILVIS, Ill. — And now for something completely different …

Patrick Flavin got paid to play on a Monday.

Flavin is this year’s edition of the Monday maven, the player without status who earns his way into multiple events via open qualifying. After failing to advance out of the second stage of last year’s Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, Flavin took to the road to compile a schedule. He’s Monday qualified for five TOUR events this season – highlighted by top-25s in Bermuda and Puerto Rico – but is playing this week’s John Deere Classic in his home state on a sponsor exemption.

As such, he was among 28 professionals who played alongside invited guests in the John Deere Classic Monday Pro-Am at TPC Deere Run.

“Definitely a step up from the Monday qualifiers,” Flavin said of the low-key outing that even came with a small stipend for participating pros.

This week’s entire John Deere Classic experience could constitute a big step in Flavin’s fledgling career. Having grown up in suburban Chicago, the former two-time Miami (Ohio) University Athlete of the Year will be making his first TOUR start in his native Illinois, looking to complete a grueling yearlong effort to play his way into the Korn Ferry TOUR Finals later this fall.

Or more.

“Playing for the Korn Ferry Finals, that’s the first threshold,” said Flavin, 26. “But I think I can attain more than that. The goal for me is to contend this week. The goal is to finish in the top 10 and get to the next week. Actually, my goal is to play in (The Open Championship).”

Yes. The 5-foot-8, 150-pound Flavin is thinking big. A top-10 finish will earn entry to next week’s Barbasol Championship in Kentucky. The Deere’s three highest finishers not already exempt into the upcoming Open Championship also earn a spot in the field at historic St. Andrews, as long as they also finish in the top 10 of the Deere’s leaderboard. A spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals – the three-event series where he can compete for one of 25 PGA TOUR cards – is available if he can earn enough non-member FedExCup points that are equal to or surpass No. 200 in the FedExCup standings.

Flavin currently has 76 points, which would rank him 199th in the FedExCup.

But Flavin couldn’t be blamed for thinking even bigger. A John Deere Classic win would earn him instant playing privileges on TOUR and much, much more. And it’s not like that hasn’t happened before. A teen-aged Flavin even watched a family friend pull it off in 2013. Kid named Jordan Spieth.

“My dad and his dad grew up together, went to high school together, and were like best buddies,” Flavin shared of Spieth, whose 2013 JDC win was the first of 13 TOUR victories, three major titles, and, in 2015, a second JDC win included. “To watch Jordan win the John Deere and do what he’s done is inspiring. He’s been good to me. That being said, I believe in myself and I know I can do the same things.”

Patrick Flavin could be a fun follow in his own right this week. Despite having no status on the PGA TOUR, his game is pressure-tested, particularly on Mondays. In addition to last week’s Traveler Championship, he Monday qualified for the RBC Canadian Open, Mexico Open at Vidanta, Butterfield Bermuda Championship and Puerto Rico Open. He made two additional starts – at the Corales Puntacana Championship and AT&T Byron Nelson – on sponsor exemptions. He’s made three cuts this season, highlighted by a T17 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and T22 in the Puerto Rico Open.

His decision to pursue a Korn Ferry Tour Finals berth through open qualifiers was set in Bermuda, where he earned 50 of his non-member FedExCup points in his first start of the season.

Clearly, there’s a lot riding on this week’s start at the Deere.

“Having the John Deere Classic on my schedule has been a game-changer,” he said, noting he’s made several scouting trips to TPC Deere Run since being granted the sponsor’s invite this spring. “I have treated it like a major. I feel like I’ve been building up and I’m ready. I’ll have a lot of hometown support, and we’re playing on bent grass is what I grew up playing. It seems like a good golf course for me. That being said, it’s all about putting my head down and playing really hard.”

If that sounds like a lot of pressure, so is chasing Mondays.

“Especially early in the year, when it’s 100 to 150 guys for four spots,” said Flavin. “It’s definitely tough odds. The thing that’s so different about is when you get to 4 or 5 under par, that’s really when you feel a ton of pressure. It’s tough because you are either playing on the PGA TOUR or you’re going home. It’s like the ultimate test of how can you handle the emotions and the pressure. For me, I’ve always done better when the pressure is on. I’ve thrived in that environment.”