Updated

Updated · PGA TOUR · Jun 29

John Deere Classic Opens 55th Edition With 144 Players at 7,327-Yard TPC Deere Run

Updated

Updated · PGA TOUR · Jun 29

John Deere Classic Opens 55th Edition With 144 Players at 7,327-Yard TPC Deere Run

Q: Will a redesigned hole finally challenge players at the PGA Tour's historically easiest course?

Yes — the redesigned fourth hole should be more demanding, but it is unlikely to change TPC Deere Run’s broader identity as one of the PGA Tour’s easiest scoring venues. The key change is substantial. After the decayed Hewitt Tree was removed, tournament officials added two new fairway bunkers, repositioned a third, and built a new tee that stretches the par-4 fourth by 38 yards to 492 yards. That directly targets what had been one of the course’s more attackable holes, making both the tee shot and approach more exacting. There is good reason to expect the hole to play tougher. Added length on a par 4 generally reduces birdie chances, and the new bunker placement should punish aggressive lines that previously offered easier scoring opportunities. With four-inch bluegrass rough and firm, undulating bentgrass greens that can run around 12 to 12½ on the Stimpmeter, misses could become more costly on that hole than in past years. But one redesigned hole is not the same as a redesigned course. TPC Deere Run still measures a manageable 7,327 yards, and last year’s field averaged 69.436, underscoring how scorable it remains. The tournament has long rewarded players who hit a high volume of greens and convert putts, and that formula is still expected to hold. Weather could also keep scores low if rain softens conditions later in the week. So the fourth hole may finally bite back, but the John Deere Classic still projects as a birdie-friendly shootout overall.

Q: Amidst 250th birthday festivities, will a new scoring record be set at this renowned birdie-fest?

A new John Deere Classic scoring record is possible, but the evidence points more to another very low winning total than a clear record-breaker. TPC Deere Run remains one of the PGA Tour’s easiest stops, and recent history supports that. The field averaged 69.436 last year, Davis Thompson set the 72-hole tournament record at 256 in 2024, and Michael Kim reached 27-under in 2018. The course routinely yields birdies, and even a 59 was shot there by Hayden Springer in 2024. This year’s setup, though, adds at least one meaningful brake on scoring. The par-4 fourth hole, previously one of the more attackable holes, has been toughened after the removal of the Hewitt Tree. Two new fairway bunkers, a repositioned third bunker, and a new tee stretching the hole to 492 yards should make it notably harder. That alone will not transform Deere Run into a brutal test, but it could matter at the margin when the record is 28-under. Weather is the other swing factor. Thursday should be hot and playable, but rain and storms are forecast from Friday into Sunday. Soft conditions can make an already receptive course even more scorable, though interruptions and changing winds can also disrupt momentum. So the 250th-birthday “Moving Day” atmosphere may well produce fireworks on the leaderboard, but a record is not the most likely call. Expect a birdie-fest again, with something in the low-20s under par more probable than a new 72-hole mark.

3 articles · Updated · PGA TOUR · Jun 29

Thursday starts the 55th John Deere Classic, with a 144-player field arriving at TPC Deere Run for another low-scoring PGA TOUR stop ahead of the July 4 weekend.
TPC Deere Run again sets up as a shootout after last year’s 69.436 scoring average, though the par-71 layout still punishes misses with four-inch rough and quick bentgrass greens.
Hole No. 4 is the biggest change: a new tee stretches the par 4 to 492 yards—38 yards longer—and three bunkers now force a roughly 340-yard carry after the Hewitt Tree was removed.
Weather could shape the week as much as the course, with Thursday forecast in the low 90s, the strongest winds expected in the opening round, and rain or storms possible from Friday through Sunday.
The tournament, a Quad Cities fixture since 1971 and at TPC Deere Run since 2000, lands this year on the United States’ 250th birthday, putting Saturday’s third round on Independence Day.