Bryson DeChambeau wins John Deere Classic
By Jay Betsill
Bryson DeChambeau overcame a four stroke deficit to capture his first PGA Tour title at the John Deere Classic. The former SMU golfer’s vict
ory at TPC Deere Run also earned him a spot in the third major of the year, The Open Championship.
“I don’t even know what it means right now,” DeChambeau told CBS Sports after his win. “I’ve just been working so hard my whole life to try to do this. And to finally have it happen at the John Deere, where I started pretty much a couple years ago, is pretty incredible.”
While playing at SMU, DeChambeau gained national notoriety when he won both the U.S. Amateur and the NCAA individual title in 2015.
By virtue of his win at the John Deere Classic, DeChambeua is now exempt on Tour through the 2018-19 season and in the PGA Championship and next year’s Masters. He also pocketed $1.08 million and earned 500 FedEx Cup points.
The three names have dominated this event over the past decade are Jordan Spieth, Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson. Spieth, who won this event in 2013 and became the youngest PGA Tour winner in 82 year and again in 2015, skipped this year’s edition in preparation for The Open Championship.
Stricker won this event three years in a row (2009-2011) and while he is now qualified to play on the Champions Tour, the 50-year-old fired a final round 64 to finish in a tie for fifth with 2012 champion Johnson.
Next up on the PGA Tour is The Open Championship, which will be played at Royal Birkdale.
