JOHN DEERE CLASSIC FIELD ADDS U.S. OPEN CONTENDERS

Tournament will also have an international flavor

This year’s 50th playing of the John Deere Classic will include a contingent of players who competed in last week’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, including Russell Henley, who led or co-led for three rounds.

Henley finished in a tie for 13th along with Wheaton native Kevin Streelman, who also had a strong showing at last month’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. Both Henley and Streelman have committed to the John Deere Classic, July 7-11, at TPC Deere Run.

“We are very excited that our field will include a group of players who excelled at the U.S. Open, most notably Russell Henley, who was at the top of the leaderboard for the first three rounds,” said John Deere Classic tournament director Clair Peterson. “We’re also happy to have a field that features several prominent international players as well as past champions our fans have gotten to know well over the years.”

Other players in the Torrey Pines field who have committed include 2014 champion Brian Harman (T-19), former Iowa State golfer and Indiana native Chris Baker (T-26, his best finish of the season), 2017 runner up and native Hoosier Patrick Rodgers (T-31), Chez Reavie (T-40) and 2019 defending champion Dylan Frittelli (T-46). Another player with a local connection is Troy Merritt, a native of Osage, Iowa, who finished T-65 at the Open.

Some of the tournament’s international flavor will be provided by Korea’s Sungjae Im, who finished T-35 at the Open, Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain (T-50), Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas (T-57) and Argentinian Fabian Gomez (T-70).

Along with Frittelli and Harman, other past champions in the field are three-time winner Steve Stricker (2009-11), Zach Johnson (2012) Jonathan Byrd (2007), Michael Kim (2018), Ryan Moore (2016), Sean O’Hair (2005) and John Senden (2006).

Other notables include Alex Noren, Aaron Wise, former PGA Champion Jason Dufner, suburban Chicago native Doug Ghim, former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, Charley Hoffman and Mito Pereira, who will be playing in his first PGA Tour event since receiving a battlefield promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour after he won three times on the developmental circuit.