Traditionally played a week before the British Open, the John Deere Classic had to be moved later in the schedule due golf’s reintroduction into the Rio Summer Olympics. Even though the tournament is not a huge favorite with some of the bigger names on the PGA Tour, the event still seems to generate quite a bit of buzz each year.
Before we begin our coverage for the John Deere Classic this week, here are 8 tournament records you should know.
1. Scoring Record – 18 Holes
Back in 2010, Paul Goydos became the fourth man to shoot a 59 on the PGA Tour. Having started on the back nine he made 8-birdies with his only par coming on the 15th hole. He then shot 4-under on the front nine which included a 7-footer for birdie on the 9th hole (his last). He eventually finished runner up to Steve Stricker.
2. Scoring Record – 36, 54, & 72 Holes
En route to his second win at the 2010 John Deere Classic, Steve Stricker set multiple records along the way. Stricker shot an 11-under (career low), 60, in the first round, to lie one back of Paul Goydos. In the next three rounds, he shot, 66(-5), 62(-9) and 70(-1) to set the 36-Hole(126), 54-Hole(188) and 72-Hole(258) scoring records for the tournament.
3. Most Wins
D.A. Weibring and Steve Stricker hold the record for the most wins at the John Deere Classic. Weibring won in 1979, ’91 and ’95. Stricker won the event three times in a row, 2009, ’10 and ’11. Other multiple winners are Deane Beman, Scott Hoch, David Frost and Jordan Spieth.
4. Best Come from Behind Win
In his rookie year, Roger Maltbie came from seven shots back of Dave Eichelberger to win the 1975 John Deere Classic. Maltbie shot a final round 64(-7) to win by one stroke over Eichelberger who shot 72(+1), for the best come-from-behind win at the event.
5. Low Finish by Winner
Payne Stewart won his first PGA Tour event at the 1982 John Deere Classic. Having started the final round two strokes behind the leaders, Stewart shot a 63(-7) to win by two strokes over Brad Bryant and Pat McGowen, for the lowest final round score by a winner. Stewart once called this win here his most cherished because it was the only win witnessed by his late father.
6. Money Leaders
With three wins at the John Deere Classic, Steve Stricker is the all-time money leader at the John Deere Classic.
| Rank | Player | Earnings ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Stricker | 3,024,470.83 |
| 2 | Zach Johnson | 2,724,622.48 |
| 3 | Jordan Spieth | 1,815,587.50 |
| 4 | Kenny Perry | 1,217,172.32 |
| 5 | J.P. Hayes | 1,204,599.07 |
7. Wire to Wire Winners
There have been three wire to wire winners at the John Deere Classic.
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Scott Hoch |
| 1992 | David Frost |
| 1995 | D.A. Weibring |
8. Scoring Average
Two-time tournament winner, Jordan Spieth has the best scoring average at the John Deere Classic at 67.19. In his four appearances at the event, he’s won twice (2013 and 2015), finished T-58 as an amateur in 2012 and finished T-7 in 2014.
