John Deere Classic canceled because of coronavirus restrictions

The PGA Tour’s revamped summer schedule won’t include the John Deere Classic.

Tournament director Clair Peterson confirmed to GolfChannel.com that the event, slated for July 9-12 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, will not be played this year.

The tournament was expected to be the fifth Tour event following a three-month hiatus stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and was penciled in as the first that could have potentially included fans. Instead, the event won’t be played at all because of ongoing restrictions in the state of Illinois banning gatherings of more than 50 people, limitations that are expected to remain in place by tournament week.

But there remains hope that the Tour could still conduct an event during what would have been Deere week. According to an ESPN report, Tour officials are exploring holding a replacement event for this year only, potentially at TPC Sawgrass near Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The Stadium Course was the site of the last competitive Tour event, as The Players was canceled after the opening round on March 12. The adjacent Valley Course is expected to host the first Korn Ferry Tour event following the coronavirus hiatus June 11-14.

The John Deere Classic has been an annual Tour staple since its inception in 1972, with a list of past champions that includes Payne Stewart, David Toms, Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson and Jordan Spieth. Last year Dylan Frittelli earned his first Tour title at Deere Run over Russell Henley.