As an avid golfer and golf nut myself, I have always appreciated having the PGA Tour stop in our own backyard every summer.
It doesn’t matter if the biggest names in golf take a pass on the John Deere Classic. The guys who do come to Silvis to test their skills on the TPC Deere Run track prove each year that they have superior talent and play a much, much different game than most of us.
And I envy that they get to play the game for a living.
I understand that most people feel as if these guys live a glamorous life, getting to travel the world to play a game for their living. But the rewards they get may still not be enough to make up for the grueling lifestyle and being away from family and living out of a suitcase.
The other thing I have come to appreciate and admire of late is how the JDC impacts the community.
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This golf tournament is more than an athletic event that has a $50 million economic impact each year, which is huge for a community this size.
The Birdies for Charity program, run in conjunction with the tournament, brings in millions of dollars to the nonprofit organizations that make it so successful.
Shoot, even in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of that year’s event, the Birdies program still scored $12 million plus for nearly 500 local charities.
This year’s tournament, won by Sepp Straka with a sizzling closing round of 62 (that was one swing from being a possible 60 or even an historic 59), raised the bar.
JDC and Deere & Co. officials came up with a way to see that Deere Chief Executive John May’s wishes to create a different dynamic at the golf course came to fruition.
From start to finish, the 2023 event delivered. It began with University of Iowa women’s basketball phenom Caitlin Clark participating in Wednesday’s pro-am event and making herself available to sign an autograph for nearly everyone in the huge crowd at Deere Run. It ended with record-setting throngs on hand Sunday for not only the golf but also for Blake Shelton’s closing Concerts on the Course show.
I’m not shy considering myself a golf snob.
I had reservations about the idea of concerts on the 18th hole — especially on Saturday before the tournament had ended and the potential for damage to the course ahead of the final round.
But I can also admit when I am wrong.
And boy, was I wrong.
Mara Downing, Deere's VP, Global Brand and Communications, aptly said: "The stars aligned."
Stars on and off the course.
Darius Rucker had the place rocking Saturday evening.
Shelton and his crowd — potentially double that of Rucker’s on Saturday — blew the top off of Deere Run and capped a terrific week that even a couple of hours of rain on Friday couldn’t dampen.
“Wow,” was the initial reaction from JDC Tournament Director Andrew Lehman. “The Quad-Cities showed up. The golf was great, the weather was great and to see this culminate on Saturday and Sunday and have it feel like the biggest it’s ever been says something about this community.
“The live music after play on Saturday and Sunday has certainly brought a jolt of energy to the grounds.
“I want to thank the entire Quad-Cities because this event is so great and it’s so important to this community and to have this support this week when everything was so perfect for us. I’m not sure it could have gone better.”
Standing on the 18th green after the trophy presentation and surrounded by thousands of fans in the hospitality areas and packed hillside west of the 18th hole was almost overwhelming for Dr. Sue Rector, the 2023 volunteer chair.
“The week was fantastic,” she said. “… I’m super excited about the concerts and all the fans. Look at how great this looks. I can’t even believe it.”
Even Straka was appreciative of everyone and everything that went on during the week. Winning his second PGA Tour event and cashing a check for $1,332,000 may have changed his perspective a bit, but he noticed what was happening all week.
“It's amazing,” Straka said of the tournament. “It's been here for so long. They've got it down. They run such a good event. The golf course is in great shape. The volunteers are all extremely helpful. One of the more smoothly run events on tour. Yeah, look forward to coming back.”
My guess is, most of the fans — of both the golf and music variety — are also looking forward to 2024.
So, what do Deere and the JDC do for an encore?
“Our staff looks forward to the challenge,” Lehman said, “but this one is going to be hard to top.”
