The John Deere Classic occupies a unique and beloved spot on the PGA Tour calendar. Held every July at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, in the heart of the Quad Cities, it lands the week before golf heads overseas for The Open Championship. That timing means many of the game’s biggest stars skip it, but it also makes the John Deere a launching pad for first-time winners and breakout stars, none more famous than a 19-year-old Jordan Spieth.
The tournament has a long history of dramatic, low-scoring finishes on its birdie-friendly course, with playoffs and one-stroke victories the norm rather than the exception. Steve Stricker and course designer D.A. Weibring share the record with three wins each, and the list of champions blends Hall of Famers like Vijay Singh and Zach Johnson with surprise first-time winners. The most recent champion is Brian Campbell, who won a playoff in 2025.
The chart below lists the John Deere Classic winners by year, focusing on the modern TPC Deere Run era, with the records and standout stories behind them. Take a look, then we’ll get into the details.
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The John Deere Classic and its place on Tour
The John Deere Classic began in 1971 as the Quad Cities Open, a satellite event, before becoming an official PGA Tour tournament. It has been played at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, since 2000, on a course designed by three-time tournament champion D.A. Weibring. John Deere, whose world headquarters sits just a couple of miles from the course, has been the title sponsor since 1999, anchoring an event known for its deep community roots and charitable impact in the Quad Cities region.
Its position on the schedule defines its character. Falling in July, the week before The Open Championship, the John Deere is often passed over by the world’s elite, who prefer to prepare overseas. To help, the tournament has long offered a charter flight to Britain on Sunday night for players who qualify for The Open. The trade-off is that the John Deere has become one of the Tour’s best opportunities for lesser-known players to claim a life-changing first victory.
The breakout stars: Spieth and beyond
No moment defines the John Deere Classic more than 2013, when a 19-year-old Jordan Spieth won in a playoff to become the youngest player to win a PGA Tour event since 1931. The victory announced Spieth as a generational talent and launched one of the great careers in modern golf; he returned to win again in 2015. That reputation as a star-maker is a recurring theme: the tournament has handed out a remarkable number of maiden PGA Tour titles.
The list of first-time winners runs deep, from David Gossett (2001) and John Senden (2006) to Brian Harman (2014) and Dylan Frittelli (2019). Bryson DeChambeau picked up an early-career win here in 2017 before becoming a major champion. For many players, a week at TPC Deere Run, with its accommodating, birdie-friendly setup, has been the springboard to bigger things, which is a big part of the tournament’s charm and its enduring appeal.
The record holders: Stricker and Weibring
Two men stand atop the John Deere Classic’s all-time list with three victories each. Steve Stricker authored the more remarkable feat, winning three consecutive titles from 2009 to 2011, the only player ever to three-peat at the event. His 2010 win came with a tournament-record 26-under-par total at the time, underlining the dominance of his run. Stricker, a Midwesterner beloved by the local galleries, remains one of the tournament’s most popular champions.
The other three-time winner is D.A. Weibring, whose victories spanned 1979, 1991, and 1995, and who later designed TPC Deere Run itself, giving him a permanent connection to the event. Behind them, a group of two-time champions includes Jordan Spieth, David Frost (who won back-to-back in 1992 and 1993), Scott Hoch, and Deane Beman. The most prominent name on the overall winners list is Hall of Famer Vijay Singh, who captured the title in 2003 against one of the strongest fields in tournament history.
A course built for low scoring
TPC Deere Run is one of the most scorable venues on the PGA Tour, and the John Deere Classic is famous for its low winning totals and dramatic, birdie-laden finishes. The scoring record has been broken repeatedly in recent years: Michael Kim won by a staggering eight shots in 2018 with a 27-under 257, and Davis Thompson lowered the mark again in 2024 with a 28-under 256. These totals reflect a course that rewards precise iron play and hot putting over raw power.
The tournament is also a reliable source of nail-biting finishes. Under John Deere’s sponsorship, the event has produced a long run of playoffs and one-stroke victories, including Brian Campbell’s 2025 playoff win over Emiliano Grillo. That combination of gettable scoring and tight finishes, much like the nearby Travelers Championship the week before, makes the John Deere Classic a consistently entertaining watch right down to the final hole.
Final Word
The John Deere Classic has been a fixture of the PGA Tour’s July schedule for over five decades, a community-rooted event at TPC Deere Run best known for launching careers, most famously Jordan Spieth’s, and for its low-scoring, dramatic finishes. Steve Stricker and D.A. Weibring share the record with three wins apiece, and the champions list mixes stars like Vijay Singh and Zach Johnson with a long line of first-time winners.
With Brian Campbell the reigning champion and the 2026 edition set for early July, the tournament remains one of the Tour’s most charming stops. For more on another dramatic summer golf event, see our guide to the Travelers Championship winners by year.