The field is filling up for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic next month. It will be the 40th anniversary of the tournament which is held near the Quad Cities.
Tournament director Clair Peterson says they’ve known defending champion Steve Stricker and former Masters Champion Zach Johnson were coming and they’ve continued to add more big names. Since 2008, the tournament has offered a charter flight directly to the British Open and Peterson says that is one of the reasons big names are committing earlier.
Peterson says they normally don’t have so many early commitments, but the jet has allowed them to get more golfers involved earlier.
Peterson expects more big names to declare their intentions over the next few weeks. He says they are the only event that promises to take players to the British Open and he says it has enhanced their player experiences. Last year they had 25 guys on the plane.
The John Deere Classic is July 8th through the 11th.