2019 JOHN DEERE CLASSIC HELPS RAISE A RECORD $13.82 MILLION FOR 542 LOCAL AND REGIONAL CHARITIES

Lexus of Quad Cities Donates 2-Year Lease to a Lucky Winner

The 2019 John Deere Classic helped raise a record $13.82 million for 542 local and regional charities, tournament officials announced Thursday at John Deere World Headquarters.

Tournament officials also announced that each participating charity will receive a 7.25 percent bonus in addition to the money raised through the Birdies for Charity program, 50 percent more than the tournament’s guaranteed five percent bonus.

“The John Deere Classic is thrilled to announce that the tournament has helped raise $13.82 million for 542 deserving charities in 2019,” said tournament director Clair Peterson.  “Everyone involved with this charitable mission is proud and very appreciative of the individual donors, companies, and local foundations who made 2019’s charitable total the largest in tournament history.”

With the 2019 donations, the John Deere Classic now has helped raise a total of $120.87 million for charity since the tournament began in 1971, with $118.32 million – 98 percent - coming since John Deere assumed the title sponsorship in 1998.

The $13.82 million 2019 total works out to $36.85 for each of the Quad Cities’ 375,000 residents, again making the John Deere Classic the No. 1 in per capita contributions on the regular PGA TOUR. 

Overall, the John Deere Classic ranks among the top three in charitable giving on the PGA TOUR.

This year, tournament contestants recorded 2,091 birdies from Wednesday through Sunday during the John Deere Classic pro-am and tournament rounds at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. Individuals who pledged a penny per birdie would donate $20.91 to their designated charity or charities.  Other individuals, foundations and institutions donate lump sums.

After today’s news conference, John Deere Classic officials also gave away a two-year lease on a Lexus NX – courtesy of Lexus of Quad Cities – to one of five finalists who correctly guessed the exact number of birdies this year.

The free Lexus NX lease program annually serves as an incentive to potential donors to participate in the Birdies program. Lexus of Quad Cities also provides courtesy cars for John Deere Classic contestants and on-course evacuation vehicles.

“Birdies for Charity is extremely grateful that Lexus of Quad Cities has made such a strong commitment to the John Deere Classic and to the hundreds of charities we serve in the Quad Cities and neighboring communities,” said Birdies for Charity director Kristy Ketcham-Jackson. “The opportunity for Birdies for Charity donors to win a two-year lease on a Lexus NX adds an extra incentive and an element of fun and excitement to the pledge drive and to tournament week itself.”

The total amount donated to the charities is the result of a three-pronged fundraising effort:

• The tournament’s Birdies for Charity program enables individuals, companies, and foundations to pledge to a charity or charities of their choice either a minimum of one cent for each birdie recorded at the tournament from Wednesday-Sunday or in lump sum donations.
• Because John Deere underwrites the administrative costs of the Birdies program, 100 percent of each Birdies pledge collected goes to the core mission of the designated charities rather than to administrative, operational, or fundraising activities.
• The Bonus Fund consists of tournament revenues, direct donations, a John Deere Foundation matching grant, as well as proceeds from special events, such as this year’s Dustin Lynch concert during tournament week. 

After Thursday’s announcement, officials distributed checks to charity representatives who attended the event. Checks will be mailed to charities that did not pick them up in person.

For the fourth consecutive year, two lucky charities in attendance received an extra $1,000 each in a blind drawing.

Dylan Frittelli, 29, won the 2019 John Deere Classic with a score of 21-under par 263, becoming the 23nd player in tournament history to win his first PGA TOUR event at the Quad Cities event.

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 more than $120 million for charity.