The John Deere Classic has tried to put an emphasis over the years on young players breaking onto the tourMichael Reaves/Getty Images
The tournament director for the John Deere Classic has been leaning into the PGA Tour’s tweaks to its schedule format in recent years, saying it’s strengthened the field in the Quad Cities rather than hurt it.
Andrew Lehman has been the tournament director for the last three years at the event but has been with the tournament since 2006. The PGA Tour switched to a Signature event model two years ago and also trimmed its playoff field to 70 from 125 last year. When the changes were implemented, many wondered if the full-field tournaments on tour would be hurt as big-name players looked for breaks in their calendar.
But Lehman says it’s actually led to stronger fields.
“I think there’s two years worth of evidence for us that it’s helped those efforts,” he told SBJ earlier this week. “Going from 125 to 70 in the first playoff event, it’s put a premium on FedEx points.”
That change in format has led to players like Jordan Spieth committing to this week’s event. Despite only winning twice in the last seven seasons, Spieth is still one of the tour’s biggest stars, but he’s currently just 59th in the FedExCup standings. Without a strong July, he could have to sweat making the playoffs at all. This will be Spieth’s first time competing in the event in nine years.
“Those conversations with players are becoming easier,” Lehman said.
The tournament also charters a flight across the Atlantic to next week’s Genesis Scottish Open, a co-sanctioned event between the tour and DP World Tour.
Patrick Cantlay, ranked 8th in the Official World Golf Ranking, was committed to the field before withdrawing due to injury on Monday.
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Similar to the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Deere has tried to put an emphasis over the years on young players breaking onto the tour. Spieth picked up his first win there in 2013, while players like Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg also have played there over the years. This week, the tournament gave exemptions to the likes of Neil Shipley and Luke Clanton, the amateur who finished inside the top 10 last week in Detroit.
Mara Downing, John Deere’s VP/Global Brand Management and Corporate Communications, noted the tournament sold out Saturday and Sunday tickets last year and is on the verge of doing so again this week, with only a handful remaining. To draw more fans in recent years, the tournament has added a concert series on Saturday and Sunday that this week includes Counting Crows and Lainey Wilson. The tournament last year generated a record $14.1 million for charity.
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the John Deere Classic name. It signed on as title sponsor in 1998 but didn’t put its name on the tournament until 1999, making the company the second-longest running title sponsor on tour, behind only the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (1986).
John Deere in 2023 signed a three-year extension of the deal that now runs through 2026. Wasserman works with John Deere on the sponsorship.
