Where Will 2024 John Deere Classic Take Place? History, Legacy & Other Key Details Explored

The John Deere Classic was born out of the necessity for the PGA Tour to retain title sponsorship from John Deere Company in the 1990s. Initially, the event was known as the Quad Cities Open, since it first started in 1971. Deere & Company was the perfect sponsor for the event, as the company was a Moline, Illinois-based plow company.

However, in 1996, the representatives from Deere & Co. were looking to stop the deal with the PGA Tour. But the then-senior VC of Tournament Business Affairs, Duke Butler, offered JD that the PGA Tour would make a TPC course in the Quad Cities with JD’s equipment. After hearing the Tour’s side, the reps agreed, and thus, TPC Deere Run was born with the newly named John Deere Classic in 2000.

The golf course was owned by Deere’s great-great-granddaughter, Patricia Tish Hewitt, and was on the market looking for buyers just when the PGA Tour was looking for a pristine site for a TPC golf course. TPC Deere Run is a historical venue as it was first a place where Native Americans lived and hunted, used for farming and coal mining, and before turning into a golf course, was a site for rising Arabian horses and cattle.

Before she died in 1992, Tish’s wish was that even after the 388 acres of land had been sold, it should be given to someone who could maintain its history dating back to 100 B.C. That’s why, when TPC Deere Run came into existence, each hole of the course was named after something related and significant to the land.

The designers, former PGA Tour pro, D.A. Weibring and Chris Gray, had a challenge at hand, but they accomplished their wishes and made the TPC Deere Run one of the best TPC courses on the PGA Tour. One of the great creations of the designer was the signature hole at TPC Deere Run.

The picturesque 16th hole of TPC Deere Run

Being an Illinois native and three-time champion of the Quad Cities Open, D.A. Weibring knew exactly how to maintain the historical legacy of the 7,257-yard TPC Deere Run and yet give it a modern look. Thus, one of the best holes on the course became the 16th one, which had the Rock River flowing on the back, a large bunker on the right, and at the front, a deep ravine was created to represent the types of features that have drawn people to this property for centuries.

The hole was named ‘Mother Nature’ as almost all of the elements could be seen from the time when the early inhabitants of the land, the Native Americans, lived and flourished there. As a tribute to them and their belief in Mother Nature nourishing each being, the 16th hole was named as such and became the signature hole of the John Deere Classic.

The early inhabitants enjoyed many sporting activities such as lacrosse in the summer and snow snake races in the winter. The 16th hole is dedicated to these early inhabitants to pay homage to the inhabitants for bringing competitive spirit to these very grounds.

The 25th edition of the TPC Deere Classic will commence on July 4th and run until July 7th with 156 players. Although a fairly diluted field, the John Deere Classic gives a chance to the unrecognized talent on the PGA Tour to win at TPC Deere Run and card a victory to their name.