Golf’s newly crowned Masters champion will play in the John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities in July. Twenty-one year old Jordan Spieth tied a Masters’ record by finishing 18 under par. He won the John Deere Classic as a teenager back in 2013. “Watching him bring it to the house was very, very exciting, we couldn’t be more pleased for him and excited for us since he’s going to be here this summer,” John Deere Classic Tournament director Clair Peterson says.

He says they have talked to the reigning Masters champ three times already this year and Spieth will play in the tournament. Peterson gave Spieth a sponsor’s exemption to play in the John Deere Classic when he was 18 years old. “It’s not the first time we’ve given an exemption to a young player we feel is going to have a great future, and just as importantly is a great young man,” Peterson. He says the first exemption in 2012 led them to give him another one in 2013 and Spieth won the tournament and launched his career.

Over the years the John Deere Classic has given sponsor exemptions to players who Peterson feels will have a bright future on tour, including Iowan Zach Johnson, who also won the Masters.

This year’s John Deere Classic is July ninth through the 12th.

Jordan Spieth is ready to defend his title when the John Deere Classic opens on Thursday near the Quad Cities.

Last year’s victory was his first on the PGA Tour and came just days shy of his 20th birthday. “I won’t get caught up in the hype, I won’t be thinking about any of that….what defending is like. It hasn’t felt any different other than seeing the tickets and the bobble heads…it hasn’t felt any different and I don’t imagine that it will,” Spieth says.

Spieth says he is sure he will have a lot of adrenaline with the memories, but he says “that’s a really cool thing.” After nearly winning the Masters this year Spieth is considered a rising star in golf. It is not something he is focused on. “I go about my own game, I love talking with my peers out there, anything on the outside — whether it’s positive or negative — I don’t think it’s good for me either way, so I do my best to stay away from comments on social media or to read anything else and just go about my business,” Spieth says.

Spieth feels the TPC at Deere Run will play tougher than it has in the past. He says the rough is up and it won’t be cut, and the greens will be firm unless it rains. Spieth says 10 or 12 under par could win the tournament, which he says if higher than the scores have been in the past.

Jordan Spieth says he is a perfect example of what a young golfer can accomplish if given a chance. Two years ago, Spieth was given a sponsor exemption to play in the John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities. He returned last year as a 19-year old and posted his first PGA win by edging Zach Johnson and David Hearn in a playoff.

“Tournaments need to look at this even as an example, because opportunities were given to me like what I had in college, which was to come here and play and test my game against the best players in the world,” Spieth says. “And there’s no way that I win last year without that opportunity the year before.”

Spieth took the momentum gained from last year’s win and ran with it. He is currently fifth on the PGA money list this year with more than $3.3 million in earnings. He says he wouldn’t have been able to adjust so quickly without the starts he had at tournaments like John Deere.

Spieth says he still has a ways to go. He wants to be the top ranked golfer in the world someday and currently is 20th. He was also the runner-up at the Masters in April.

“I missed out on an opportunity to win the golf tournament that I dreamt about and I had the lead, and I know it was my first try and I know that that’s no normal to be in the position in your first try,” Spieth says. He says it was humbling to be in the position and not being able to pull it out.

Spieth will defend his title at nexth months John Deere Classic.

The John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities has long been known as a place where young players get an early shot at the PGA Tour and this year is no exception. The tournament is providing four sponsor exemptions to young players, including NCAA individual champion Cameron Wilson of Stanford.

Tournament chair Clair Peterson says they first began discussions with Wilson two months ago. “At that point we were a little concerned that perhaps having two Stanford players in our field might be over the top, but told him we’d keep an open mind.” Peterson says. “Then watched him win the NCAA individual titles and some match play titles and he just seemed like our kind of guy, and we’re just really excited that he is going to launch his professional career at our event after he first plays in the Travelers.”

Peterson says defending champion Jordan Spieth is an example of a young player who burst onto the scene at the Deere Classic. He says they have along history of trying to recognize the next generation of great players and start a relationship with them early. “Jordan of course was here twice and won our event last year and really became the story in golf,” Peterson says.

Peterson says they get many more inquires about sponsor exemptions than they have spots for. They get letters from veteran and young players and they try to fill out spots with each, according to Peterson.

This year’s John Deere Classic is July 10th through the 13th.

Last years winner of the Champions Tour event in Des Moines returned to the Wakonda Club this morning where he won the Principal Charity Classic. Russ Cochran took part in an event to benefit one of the charities associated with the tournament. Cochran says the spirit of the tournament and the way everyone works together is impressive and he says it is becoming the favorite event for him and his wife.

Last year’s tournament was the first time it was played at Wakonda. “It’s a great golf course, it’s and old-school golf course and I wish we played more like it,” Cochran says. He says he did come and watch his son play an amateur event at the course and that helped him learn some of the shots needed to be successful.

This year’s Principal Charity Classic will be May 30th through June 1st.

An exciting finish to the John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities on Sunday. Former University of Texas player, Jordan Spieth won the tournament in the fifth sudden death playoff hole. The 19-year-old Spieth beat out defending champion and Iowa native Zach Johnson by a stroke as he became the 4th youngest player to win on the PGA tour.

Spieth got into a tie with a miracle shot at 18 that hit the flag stick and went in on a chip out of a greenside bunker. Johnson just missed a chip-in shot from the green and later a put that would have given him back-to-back wins in the tournament.

By Ron Gerrard

Cedar Rapids native Zach Johnson is ready to open defense of his title at the John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities.

Johnson will tee of in Thursday morning’s opening round in a group that includes Davis Love the third and Steve Stricker, who won three straight John Deere Classic titles before have the string snapped in 2012. Johnson views this week’s tournament as a brand new challenge.

“I’m trying to put 2012 behind me, it’s not like just because I won I have a 3-shot lead going into Thursday. So, I frankly have to put it behind me,” Johnson says.

Johnson has long considered the TPC at Deere Run to be his “home course”. He says he feels comfortable and normal on the course because of the support he has received while playing there.

Players will compete for a purse of $4.6-million with the winners share of nearly $830,000.

A charter flight has made all the difference for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities. At one time it was a tournament that players taking part in the British Open the following week avoided. That all changed in 2008 when the tournament began offering a charter flight “across the pond”.

Now, many of the biggest names in golf are playing in the tournament and traveling in style. Tournament director Clair Peterson says so many of the players are now at the tournament because they know they can win a PGA event and get to the third major in a “hassle free” way and be rested. He says it completely changed the tournament field.

“As soon as they qualified for the British, they say ‘I’m really sorry but I won’t be able to play this year.’ We only had 7 players in ’07, the last year before the charter, and they went over to Heathrow and lost their luggage,” Peterson says.

He says the charter is a big selling point and it allows them to stay where they are on the calendar and get the players to the British Open. Zach Johnson is the defending champion of the John Deere Classic which tees off on July 11th.