The 2008 John Deere Classic Preview & Golf Tips
John Deere Classic
TV Coverage:
Defending Champion: Jonathan Byrd The John Deere Classic as it has been known since 1999 has seen a wide variety of champions. In 2003 Vijay Singh (3 time major winner) took home the title. Other than him we have seen some of the young guns who are supposed to challenge Tiger and the top Tour players get a win. David Gossett (2001), JP Hayes (2002), and Sean O’Hair (2005) are just a few of such players. Last year another young player won, Jonathan Byrd. This may be because many of the top players don’t make this event. The tough part for the John Deere Classic is the timing of the event. It is two weeks before the Open Championship. Many players are gearing up for that event as they have already left to play an event in Europe. This does give the younger players a chance to start making their mark, however not against the best competition. Unfortunately many of the best players miss out on a great event on a great golf course.
A few players to watch in the field:
TPC at Deere Run When the organizers decided to make a TPC course they called on 3 time Quad City’s Open winner and local Illinois native, D.A. Weibring. He came in and designed a beauty. He took 400 acres on beautiful rolling Illinois countryside and with barely disturbing a thing turned it into a challenging TPC layout. This course has everything; doglegs, blind shots, big elevation change, 78 bunkers, and water. The greens aren’t too severe but the chipping areas around them can be quite difficult. If you like watching players hit different shots, then this will be a good weekend for you to watch. The stretch run of holes 14-18 will certainly provide some entertainment for the finishing of the tournament. The 14th hole is the now classic drivable par 4. It is 361 yard downhill tee shot to the green. The risk is huge as there is a massive valley of sin short left and no recovery if you go long. You had better hit a very accurate 361 yard driver if you plan to make a 2 or 3. The 16th hole is a gorgeous little par three over water with a shale face at the front. It is certainly is the signature hole, but the players had not get too distracted by it’s beauty or it could come up and bite them. The 17th hole is a reachable par 5 for the longer hitters, but like the tee shot on 14 they had better be very accurate shots. The 18th is a great finishing hole at 465 yards. It is a strong 2 shot par 4, and with the tournament on the line there are plenty of places the players don’t want to hit it. I hope you enjoy the 2008 John Deere Classic from TPC at Deere Run. Please remember to check back here for my Tour Tips of the leaders before the start of the third round. Return to the Home Page from the John Deere Classic
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