Open hopefuls line up at John Deere
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2009 John Deere Classic | Preview | 07 Jul 2009
Played at the D.A. Weibring designed 7268 yard, par 71 TPC at Deere Run layout in Silvis, Illinois, some two hours west of Chicago, the John Deere Classic was for many years known as the Quad Cities Open. In 1999, it became known as the John Deere Classic and moved a year later to its current venue. Weibring got the job to design the course obviously because of his role in golf course design but also because he was a three time winner of the tournament and also an Illinois native.
The tournament provides one last chance for the leading player inside the top five this week and not already exempt to the Open Championship to be on his way to Turnberry.
The defending champion is one of the hottest golfers on the PGA Tour at present, Kenny Perry. Perry won a playoff against Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson last year and arrives at this week’s event as the number two player on the 2009 PGA Tour money list and, deservedly, is the red hot favourite.
Perry not only won the event in 2008 but also led after round one in his only other visit to the event in 2007 before finishing 11th. Perry has family issues to deal with at present with his mother not well but he expects to be able to play this week and at the Open Championship.
Perry and Steve Stricker are the only two players from the world’s top ten, which is perhaps understandable given the proximity of the event to next week’s Open Championship at Turnberry. Perry and Stricker are at this stage heading to the Open Championship and both would fancy their chances of taking yet another PGA Tour title with them.
Stricker is in fine form of late including his win at the Crowne Plaza event in Fort Worth. At a time when he was playing well below the level he is now, Stricker finished 4th in here in 2004 and has made the cut in his only two times to the event since.
It is perhaps strange that Lucas Glover is playing this week given that he has also played in the two weeks since his US Open victory and that he is heading for Scotland next week. Glover has not played this event well in the times he has been to Silvis and surely all his recent exploits will catch up with him soon.
When Brandt Snedeker played this event for the first and only time in 2007 he finished with a round of 66 to eventually finish 32nd. Snedeker had a very good week last week at Congressional – after a period of poor form – when finishing 5th and earning a place at the Open Championship in the process.
Bryce Molder is finally achieving what many felt he would much earlier in his career. Molder is on a roll at the moment having finished runner up and 4th at two of his last three starts. He has missed all three cuts in the times he has played this tournament but he is a much better player now and might have a good week before he heads to Turnberry, the recipient of a start there courtesy of his good run of form of late.
There will be a lot of interest in how David Duval backs up after his magnificent week at Bethpage Black. He of course has a start at next week’s Open as a result of being a former champion but this week gets a chance to further confirm his comeback. He has played this event just three times and not played well but that was during a period where he had lost his way.
Cameron Beckman seems to be playing better now than he has for a while. He was in the thick of things last week at Congressional before finishing 7th and does play this golf course quite well. At longer odds he might have a chance of a good return for someone who fancies his chances.
Jason Day began his professional career in this event two years ago and despite missing the cut last week he might be inspired at this golf course where in his very first PGA Tour event he made the cut. Day has played well enough on partially exempt status in 2009 to earn US$874,000 and a top ten this week would be enough to see him guaranteed of full status in 2010.
John Senden won this tournament in 2006 and has played very solidly in recent weeks. Other Australasians in the field are New Zealander Danny Lee, Marc Leishman, James Nitties, Jarrod Lyle, Aron Price, Aaron Baddeley, Matt Jones, Nathan Green, Steve Allan, Greg Chalmers, Mark Hensby, Stephen Leaney, Peter Lonard, Stephen Leaney and Steve Elkington.
Lee was bound for the Scottish Open before a top ten at last week’s AT&T Championship saw him earn a start this week without compromising his limited number of PGA Tour starts by invite.
