Homa, Day, Im Commit to the John Deere Classic

PGA TOUR stalwarts Max Homa, Jason Day and Sungjae Im have committed to play in next month’s John Deere Classic, July 2-6, at TPC Deere Run.

“We are very excited to have Max, Jason and Sungjae in our field this year,” said tournament director Andrew Lehman. “All three of them are PGA Tour winners who have played on national teams like the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup and each has a unique fan appeal. We are confident our fans will be energized by the opportunity to see these standout players, each of whom brings something special to the field .”

Homa, who was ranked in the top 10 in the world last year, finished 12th at this year’s Masters. The 34-year-old Southern California native has six career victories and one runner-up on the PGA TOUR and has amassed $29 million in official earnings. He was the bright light of the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup team and is a two-time Presidents Cup team member (2022, 2024). Homa was a hit on social media in recent years because of his humor, cleverness and relatability, particularly on the X (Twitter) platform. While he has largely withdrawn from X this season, he continues to be active on TikTok.

A native Australian, Day played his first tournament on U.S. soil at the age of 19 after receiving a sponsor exemption into the 2006 John Deere Classic. He made the cut at TPC Deere Run, thus launching a formidable career in which he has won 13 times on the PGA Tour, including the 2015 PGA Championship and the 2016 Players Championship, and ascended to No. 1 in the world. Back injuries have plagued him in recent years but recovery time and swing changes to decrease pressure on his back have helped pave his way back to the upper echelon of professional golf.  This year, the 36-year-old five-time Presidents Cup team member has three top 10 finishes and is qualified for the British Open by virtue of being ranked among the top 50 (37th) in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR); he stands 42nd in the FedExCup points. He has lived for many years with his wife and children in her native Ohio.

Sungjae Im is known as the PGA Tour’s “ironman,” as he has played between 26 and 35 events per season over the last several years. The 27-year-old from South Korea has played 16 events already this season and finished in the top 25 a total of seven times, which helps account for his No. 18 status in the FedExCup Cup rankings and 22nd on OWGR. He has played on three Presidents Cup teams (2019, 2022, 2024) and is exempt for the Scottish and British Opens. He recently finished T-16 at the Memorial. Im has gained the respect and affection of golf fans for his tireless work ethic, grinder mentality and quiet, friendly disposition.  

Other commitment list notables include Daniel Berger, Illinois alumnus Brian Campbell, Joel Dahman, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Kisner, Denny McCarthy, Andrew Novak, Davis Riley, former Masters champion Danny Willett  and Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker. Past champions currently committed to play are defending champion Davis Thompson, Zach Johnson, J.T. Poston, Lucas Glover, Michael Kim and Dylan Frittelli. Former top amateur Gordon Sargeant, who played the John Deere on a sponsor exemption in 2023, recently turned pro and is in the field as are two Chicago area natives Doug Ghim and Nick Hardy (also an Illini alumnus) as well as Northwestern alumnus David Lipsky. See the full field here.

At the end of the season, the top 70 points getters qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs and the top 50  automatically qualify for next year’s PGA Tour.

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.