John Deere Classic Trophy: History, Who Designed It, & Meaning Explored

Jul 1, 2024 | 4:00 PM EDT

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Imagine a trophy. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Surely, a metal cup-styled, intricately crafted, two-handled token of appreciation awarded to winners is what most of us would imagine. But not the PGA Tour, not at least for the John Deere Classic. Stepping away from any imaginable connotations of an ordinary trophy, this bronze and wood masterpiece crafted by the renowned sculptor Malcolm DeMille stands tall.

DeMille has been handcrafting this masterpiece for more than two decades now. A perfect salute to its title sponsor since 2000, Deere & Company, and its venue, this trophy features the hometown company’s big ‘Deere’ logo leaping over a shallow river around the fairway at the TPC Deere Run.

This unique characteristic backdrop also gives a hint at Deere & Company’s position in the golf and turf equipment sectors. While not so related to the game of golf per se, this trophy showcases the 25-year-long association between the PGA Tour event and the company, making the latter the Tour’s second-oldest title sponsor currently.

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DeMille’s masterpiece of sculptural art is made of bronze with a strong wooden base holding the layout. The price for the trophy’s creation ranges from $10 to $25 thousand, whereas reorders cost somewhere around $16 thousand. Quit a handsome sum, right? Well, its intricately crafted value promises that the money is well spent.

Talking about his art, the artist and sculptor DeMille once explained, “When people ask us for a cup, we kind of groan. If someone wants a straight-up engraved cup, we tell them if that’s what you are looking for. We maybe aren’t the best company for you, and I don’t mind telling people that. I don’t get much satisfaction churning out a typical cup. If it doesn’t have a sculpted element to it or a crafted part, it’s just not the same for me.”

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Unlike any other ordinary trophy for namesake purposes, the John Deere Classic’s trophy perfectly symbolizes not only a victory at one of the Tour’s long-going events but also its journey of evolution in the Quad Cities area and rightly delivers upon the event’s promise: “Magic happens here.” Who are some of the pro golfers who have had the chance to get their hands on Malcolm DeMille’s standout work?

Who are some of the John Deere Classic trophy holders?

Well, who wouldn’t want to get this bronze art piece in their victory showcases? After all, this scenic anecdote perfectly characterizes the essence of the event, a symbolic representation of memories made at the TPC Deere Run. Some of golf’s biggest names hold DeMille’s masterwork dearly. Topping this list in recent years is Jordan Spieth. Having won the event twice in 2013 and 2015, Spieth is a two-time winner of this intricate bronze art piece.

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Famous names like Bryson DeChambeau, Brian Harman, Ryan Moore, Michael Kim, and more have all laid their hands on this symbolic anecdote, perfectly encapsulating the surroundings of their win. More recently, defending champion Sepp Straka was the last to win it. A year before him, even J.T. Poston got to hold this artwork following his win three strokes ahead of runner-ups Christian Bezuidenhout and Emiliano Grillo.

It remains to be seen who will be the next player to lay their hands on this masterpiece. It remains to be seen! All we know is that it won’t be Patrick Cantlay this year, at least.