SILVIS — John May and Allison Farrell had some fun Wednesday with a little John Deere excavator, a big golf ball and a putting green built solely for charity.
Before Farrell's round at the John Deere Classic pro-am started, the woman chosen to play in place of Deere & Co. Chairman and CEO May, sank a putt at the Mini-Excavator Putter out by the ninth hole of TPC Deere Run. May followed suit.
Each putt made at the free Mini-Excavator Putter raises $50 for Deere charities.
"That's the whole point, right?" May said. "It's to give back to the community. And if you look last year, we gave back $12 million — and that was without a (John Deere) Classic because of COVID.
"This is important to the community. Charity drives what we do here."
Farrell played in an amateur foursome, along with a fifth player, Dylan Frittelli, the 2019 John Deere Classic champion, with May serving as Farrell's caddie. Two Deere VIP customers and Lee Garlach, John Deere Classic board chairman, rounded out the group.
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Usually, the Deere & Company CEO plays in the pro-am during the week of the tournament. This year, however, May offered his spot to a fellow Deere & Co. employee who loves the game.
Farrell, a module leader at John Deere Cylinder Works and an assistant golf coach for Geneseo High School, earned the opportunity when she entered the "Take the Tee for Me Contest" in May for Quad-Cities-based Deere employees.
She was picked out of 27 contestants who submitted a video on what it means to have the John Deere Classic in the Quad-Cities and why they would be an ideal choice to play in the pro-am on behalf of the company.
Forty years and counting
May had nothing put praise for the army of volunteers who staff every John Deere Classic. Jan Henderson has seen her share of all things related to golf, having volunteered at the tournament for 40 years.
"Every year is special," the 73-year-old Henderson said Wednesday as she stood watch over the admissions tent. It's the place where volunteers pass through a metal detector before they go out on the course.
"And every year makes more memories," Henderson continued. "It's the people — the other volunteers — that make it fun. But, really, the reason I always come back is because John Deere does so much for charity."
When Henderson started volunteering at the JDC she was a teacher at Logan School in Moline. Now she lives at Oak Run, a bedroom community near Galesburg.
"Some of my best memories are of the rain," Henderson said. "I've always worked the admission tent, and when it starts raining people crowd in, and then you get to meet the most interesting people."
The tale of two volunteers
Stephanie Macuga worked the admissions tent Wednesday with Henderson, while 23-year-old Kevin Sousek was just yards away working the Mini-Excavator Putter.
Sousek's tale must be told first. The pro-am marked his first time volunteering at the JDC.
"I'm from Malmo, that's in Nebraska, and I went to the University of Nebraska, and one of my professors worked at John Deere and recommended me for a job," Sousek said. "So I've lived in the Quad-Cities for about two years and I like it."
Sousek looked happy — but a tad uncomfortable.
"It's this shirt," Sousek said while he squirmed a bit. "I think, well, I think they have me in a woman's shirt."
The green-and-white golf shirt did look slim, and sleeves were cut for women. Sousek took the fashion in stride — after he laughed and blushed for a moment.
Macuga is a senior programmer and analyst in Scott County's IT department. The pro-am marked her sixth year as a volunteer.
"I'll tell you the truth — six years ago I was getting into golf and I wanted to be where the action is," she said. "It's been an adventure. You meet a lot of people. You realize that Deere raises a lot of money for communities.
"It's a good thing to do and it's fun. I'm lucky to be able to do this."
A whip worth the sprint
Many people know "whip" as a slang term for what used to be called a "nice ride" or "tight wheels." But those dropping that slang might not know "whip" dates back to the first Model-T's and was largely forgotten — until Don Cheadle deliriously spit it in Steven Soderberg's 1998 film "Out of Sight."
Lisa Maller doesn't care what you want to call the 2021 Lexus SUV she drove Wednesday as she ferried journalists from media parking in the lot of the Silvis Jewel-Osco to the JDC.
"Let me tell you how this happened," the smiling Maller said. "They loaded up a busload of volunteers who were chosen as media drivers and they drove us over to Lujack and there was a long line of Lexus SUVs.
"I'll tell you this; those bus doors opened and people were just sprinting for their favorite. Maybe 40 people, all in a mad dash for one of these SUVs. It was quite a sight. I was lucky to get this."
Maller's whip featured on-screen texting, a computer connected to WiFi and the option to switch into auto-drive. It gets an average of 14 miles to the gallon and Maller pointed to the window when the sticker price was displayed.
"I don't even want to look," said Maller, who along with her husband, John, were volunteering at the JDC for the first time. "This has been a lot of fun. The car is amazing, and I met some great people. No one famous or from Egypt or anything, but the media folks have been nice."
The sticker price of Maller's temporary whip? If you can take a lash of $91,730, it's all yours.
