This weekend on the PGA Tour features the John Deere Classic, an event renowned for showcasing the next generation of superstars.
The John Deere Classic boasts a rich history marked by significant moments in the careers of some of the greatest golfers. Players have won here for the first time and gone on to win multiple events, including major championships.
Here, we look at three of the most notable first-time Tour winners at the John Deere Classic.
Bryson DeChambeau
Maybe the most popular man in golf, Bryson DeChambeau has won the U.S. Open twice, but his first win on the PGA Tour was at the John Deere Classic in 2017.
The LIV Golf star finished the tournament at 18-under-par, beating Patrick Rodgers by one stroke. It came down to the final shot. Rodgers had held the lead since day two, but he bogeyed the 17th, allowing DeChambeau to take the lead.
The American sealed the win by sinking a 14-foot birdie putt, and Rodgers’ chip on the 18th to force a playoff missed by a foot.
DeChambeau went on to win nine PGA Tour events, three LIV Golf events, two majors, and become one of the biggest stars in the sport.
Michael Kim
Michael Kim’s maiden win at the John Deere Classic is his only win so far on the PGA Tour. That’s a confusing statement when you look at the convincing fashion in which he did it.
Kim set the tournament record with a winning margin of eight shots. He was a ridiculous 27 under par over the tournament, shooting 63, 64, 64 and finishing with a round of 66 to seal a dominant win.
He played the final 29 holes of the tournament without a single bogey and made a remarkable 30 birdies throughout the week – a season high on the PGA Tour in 2018.
The win also gave Kim qualification for the upcoming Open Championship. Unfortunately, he couldn’t ride the momentum of the win into the following year, missing 19 cuts in 20 events in 2019.
Jordan Spieth
In 2013, Jordan Spieth became the youngest winner of a PGA Tour event in 82 years, since Ralph Guldahl in 1931. He was only 19 years old.
He won it in dramatic fashion. He holed out from a greenside bunker on the 18th of the final day, forcing a three-way playoff with David Hearn and Zach Johnson. It took five extra holes to decide it, and Spieth emerged the winner.
That set the stage for Spieth to become one of the sport’s stars overnight. He went on to win the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2015, and finished second in the PGA Championship, and two years later he won The Open Championship.
It was the first of what is now 13 wins on the PGA Tour.