John Deere Golf Classic

John Deere Classic 2012

When: July 7-10
Where: TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.
First Tournament Started in 1971
Golf Course(s) TPC at Deere Run
Par 71
Yardage 7,257
Format Stroke play
Purse $4,200,000

The John Deere Classic is played at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. The TPC at Deere Run is a Tournament Players Club member course. Deere & Company hosts this tournament being a current sponsor of the PGA Tour.

It will be the 40th anniversary of the tournament which is held near the Quad Cities. The "quad" is made up of the following five cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island in Illinois. Bettendorf was the first host city for this tournament. Traditionally many of the top American golfers participate in the John Deere Classic. The John Deere Classic takes place every year in July, that is actually one week before the famous British Open Championship, the tournament usally is a warm up for the world's top players.

This golf tournament first began selling back in 1971 and for years this has been one of the best tour dates to see golf's elite professionals. This event has gone by many names over the years, including the Quad Cities Classic and the Miller High Life QCO.

John Deere Classic boasts champions such as Vijay Singh, David Toms and Payne Stewart in the past.

In 2009, Steve Stricker tied the tournament record with a second-round 61, then played 36 holes on Sunday due to a weather delay to win the tourney. Stricker finished three ahead of runners-up Zach Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Brett Quigley.

John Deere Golf Classic Results

Even with a big lead, Steve Stricker knew he could be in for a rough final round at the John Deere Classic.

And that's exactly what he got.

Stricker led by seven strokes with 17 holes to play. With five holes to go, the lead was down to just two. But he maintained that margin the rest of the way Sunday and won the tournament for the second straight year, closing with a 1-under par 70 that was just enough to beat Paul Goydos.

Stricker had a six-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera in February and had to scramble to win by two. On Sunday, he found himself doing the same thing.

He played it safe and his putting wasn't sharp. The shot-making that had allowed him to record the lowest 54-hole total in PGA Tour history wasn't there. But he came through with a critical birdie after driving into the trees on No. 17 and finished with a 258 — 26 under and a record for the tournament.