Tom Whitney watches his drive on the first tee Thursday during the first day of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis. Photo by Todd Welbert
Hayden Springer joined an elite group of PGA Tour golfers on Thursday, July 4, in the first round of the John Deere Classic, shooting an astounding 12-under-par 59 on the soft TPC Deere Run Course.
Thirteen players have shot rounds under 60 in PGA Tour tournaments, but only five of them have won. Jim Furyk, whose lowest round is 58, is also one of the players to have shot 59.
Springer, 27, is just the second golfer in JDC history to shoot 59. He finished with eagle-birdie and began his celebrations on the 18th green with caddie Michael Burns.
“I’m really at a loss for words. I’m still a little shaken,” he said. “I just dreamed it, right?”
Springer’s great round didn’t just happen out of nowhere, he said.
“I said, ‘Hey, you’re peeling it, go ahead,'” Barnes quoted him as saying during an abbreviated practice on Wednesday. “Keep some of them.”
“That’s what happened. I like to hit a lot of practice balls,” Springer said with a big smile.
Even in a once-in-a-lifetime round, neither Springer nor the course are invincible.
Finland’s Sari Valimaki also performed well, shooting 10-under 61.
In addition to Valimaki, five other players are within four strokes of the lead with 54 holes to go, including 2023 JDC champion Sepp Straka, who is at five under par.
“I definitely got some birdies,” said Bud Cawley (7 under) at Silvis TPC Course. “The wind was calm and if I was in the right position I could get some birdies.”
Now in its 53rd year, the Quad Cities PGA Tournament sees players compete for a total prize purse of $8 million. The JDC is title sponsored by Deere & Co., whose world headquarters are in nearby Moline.
Springer said he began to think he was doing something special early in the round, when he turned in a staggering course-record score of 27.
“I was determined to make a good turn. Then I got some pars and I was able to
“I watched it all the way through,” Springer said. “Everything I saw went in.”
Springer did more than “make it”: He made an eagle from 55 yards on the 17th hole and then made an 8-foot birdie putt for a score of 59.
Asked Friday about his plans to start as tournament leader, Springer said, “Maybe I’ll practice a little bit.”
