John Deere Classic Golf Tournament Canceled

The 2020 John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois was scheduled to be the first PGA event of 2020 that included fans on the course. Not only will fans not be on the course, July 6 through 12, neither will professional golfers. The event was canceled today due to COVID-19 restrictions in the state of Illinois.

The tournament posted this message on its Facebook page:

Because of the continuing COVID-19 restrictions around events and public gatherings in the surrounding area, the 2020 John Deere Classic has been canceled, tournament officials announced today. The tournament will, however, continue its commitment to the 2020 Birdies for Charity campaign, including a promise to deliver at least a five percent bonus to all participating organizations. Last year, the tournament raised $13.8 million for 543 organizations.

The loss of the John Deere Classic is a major blow to the Midwest, and especially that part of Illinois. It's a premiere event that Our Quad Cities reported last month "tentatively could be the first to welcome back the crowds."

An anonymous source told Golfweek, "They'd (John Deere) rather take the money they'd be allocating to the tournament and give it to the community."

That is awesome news. So just how much money are we talking about? John Deere Classic tourney director Clair Peterson told Golfweek, "We’ll probably do $10 million in charitable impact in a year that more than any I can remember will be critically important."

That is a fact. It's sad that we have yet another cancellation to tell you about, but this one will still have a wonderful impact on its Illinois neighbors.