JOHN DEERE CLASSIC RECEIVES TWO MAJOR PGA TOUR AWARDS

Quad Cities Tournament Earns “Most Engaged Community” and “Best Sponsor Integration” Recognition for 2024

The PGA Tour honored the John Deere Classic with its “Most Engaged Community” and “Best Sponsor Integration” awards, Dec. 11, at its annual meetings.

It was the third time the Quad Cities-based tournament has won the “Best Sponsor Integration” award and the ninth for the “Most Engaged Community” honor.

“The John Deere Classic is honored to have won our ninth ‘Most Engaged Community’ award and the ‘Best Sponsor Integration’ award for the third time,” said John Deere Classic tournament director Andrew Lehman. “These two awards recognize the efforts of everyone involved with the tournament to serve our two most important constituencies, our fans and our tremendous title sponsor, John Deere.”

The Quad Cities community is weaved into the tournament in many ways from the record-setting $15.9 million in charitable contributions for 476 local charities to the 2,400 volunteers who make the tournament run smoothly to John Deere’s “Concerts on Course” initiative, which expanded the event’s fan-appeal and created sell outs on the weekend. This year’s artists were country star Lainey Wilson and ‘90s rock group Counting Crows.

Deere’s sponsor integration includes tasteful onsite branding and signage; an impressive entry-road display of some 25 original pieces of John Deere equipment from each of the company’s Agricultural, Construction and Golf & Turf divisions; creative and branded interactive fan experiences, such as the mini-excavator Putter and the iconic excavator Driver Head and Golf Ball (with a new custom-made Swag Golf head cover for the Driver), miniature versions of John Deere equipment mounted on tee markers on all 18 holes, which started a trend on Tour starting in the year 1999.

Davis Thompson won the 53rd John Deere Classic with a record score of 28-under par at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. The 24th first-time winner of the event, he is expected to defend his title July 2-6, 2025.

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 1971, the tournament has helped raise nearly $190 million for charity.