Jordan Spieth arrived at the 2013 John Deere Classic in need of a victory to qualify for The Open Championship. At just 19 years old, he accomplished exactly that. More than a decade later, the soon-to-be 31-year-old returns to the site of his first career victory on the PGA Tour in need of something .
.. anything .
.. to salvage a season that has tested his patience.
The 13-time PGA Tour winner will make his first start at the John Deere Classic since 2015, a tournament at which he walked away with his second tournament title. Making a late addition to his 2024 playing schedule, Spieth's showing at TPC Deere Run is just the beginning of his march towards the final major of the season in two weeks' time. "This year, I thought I would play here and take next week off and play The Open," Spieth said.
"Turns out, I'm adding and playing next week as well. My intent originally was to play here [..
.] come back to a place I have great memories, try and get in contention, try and do all the things I like to do before a major, then maybe get over there a little early, not playing a tournament and play a few rounds and then play The Open. But I'm going to end up playing The Open as my third in a row, which has been a good spot for majors for me in the past.
" Without a top-25 finish since before the Masters in April, Spieth's summer has been difficult to stomach. While the driving component of his game has reached new heights, other areas have fallen flat. His iron play is approaching low.
