Ben Griffin Commits to John Deere Classic

Ben Griffin, who has two victories and eight top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour this year, most recently at the U.S. Open, has committed to play the John Deere Classic for the second consecutive year.

Griffin finished T-5 last year in his first appearance at TPC Deere Run, shooting 23-under par with four rounds in the 60s.

The 29-year-old native of North Carolina currently stands fifth in the FedExCup Playoff rankings, 15th in the Official World Golf Rankings and eight in Ryder Cup points thanks to his stellar play since late February when he finished T-4 at the Mexico Open. (The top six in Ryder Cup points automatically make the 12-man team). Griffin was co-winner of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with teammate Andrew Novak and won the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth a week after finishing T-8 at the PGA Championship.

“Ben Griffin played here last year and had a great tournament, and we are extremely happy to welcome him back this year,” said tournament director Andrew Lehman. “Ben has a great backstory and has positioned himself well for the Playoffs and to be on the Ryder Cup team.”

Griffin, who played his college golf at the North Carolina, famously burned out on golf and in 2021 stepped away to work as a mortgage loan officer. He soon returned and successfully worked his way through the Korn Ferry Tour, earning a PGA Tour card.

The 54th edition of the Quad Cities-based PGA Tour event will be conducted July 2-6 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis with Davis Thompson as defending champion. The tournament will offer an $8.4 million purse.

The John Deere Classic, which includes Birdies for Charity, is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization located in the John Deere Classic tournament offices at 15623 Coaltown Road, East Moline, Illinois. Since its founding in 1971, the tournament has helped raise more than $189.6 million for charity.