The John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities has always given aspiring pros a chance to compete in a PGA Tour event and this year is no different. Tournament director Clair Peterson has given sponsor exemptions to three of the country’s top collegiate golfers. Peterson says giving young players an early break pays off for the tournament down the road.

Jordan Spieth was given an exemption in 2012 which started the relationship. He came back in 2013 and won the tournament. Now he’s coming back as Masters Champion in 2015, when everyone knows he could be accepting appearance fees to go overseas. Peterson says they believe that “Developing these relationships surely pays off.”
Spieth is one of the favorites heading into this week’s U-S Open. Bryson DeChambeau is the NCAA champion out of SMU. Brian Campbell was a standout at Illinois while Lee McCoy is the world’s fourth ranked amateur out of Georgia. More of the big names on the PGA Tour are playing the John Deere Classic each year but Peterson says it remains important for them to give young players a chance to compete.

In addition to Spieth several other big names were given sponsor exemptions at the beginning of their careers to play in the tournament including Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson and Jason Day. The first round of the John Deere Classic is July 10th.

(Learfield Sports)