Sunday was a day of firsts for Gavin Batista. The 11-year-old from South Carolina attended his first John Deere Classic and he walked away with his first trophy: a golf ball handed to him by the 2021 champion. Gavin is a golfer in his own right, he said, and was dressed the part in khakis, a polo and golf hat.
On the green, players squatted into position to study the course before their put. Gavin, a few yards behind them, did the same. When former champion Lucas Glover walked by on his way to the second hole during the last day of the tournament, he tossed his ball to Gavin.
The 11-year-old admitted he didn't know who Glover was before, but he sure does now. "I told him he's my favorite player," Gavin said with a grin. With clouds covering the sky and the temperature hanging at just about 80 degrees there was no shortage of visitors on the course, with many decked out in Deere's signature green.
Responsible for keeping the course that way is Uncommon Ground of the Quad Cities. It's a lengthy process that begins in late winter, around the first of March, and starts with 10,000 plugs planted specifically for tournament week, owner Mike Cavins said in a news release. "It takes about a week to get the flowers and shrubs planted, then we do special requests from the tournament staff, as well," he said, adding that about 80-100 cubic yards of mulch is used for the plantings.
"When the tournament is over, almost everything goes back to the nursery, and we gift the flowers to volunt.
