The PGA Tour will keep the momentum going, now heading to Silvis, Illinois, for the 2025 John Deere Classic at the TPC Deere Run. With a rich history dating back to 1971, this tournament has been played at TPC Deere Run since 2000, marking 25 consecutive years at this iconic course, aside from a COVID-19-induced cancellation in 2020. Nestled along the Rock River, this event promises to deliver thrilling golf action. To get a better grasp of what’s in store, let’s dive into the format of the 2025 John Deere Classic!

The 2025 John Deere Classic, held from July 3-6, features a 156-player field, including eight top-50 players and the leaders in this season’s FedEx Cup standings, all competing for an $8.4 million purse. However, not all of them will have the opportunity to vie for the winner’s share of $1.512M, which means the 2025 John Deere Classic will include a cut.

Here’s a more detailed understanding of the format: like every other Tour event, the John Deere Classic follows a 72-hole format.  In the first two rounds, the tournament divides the field into morning and afternoon waves, with players competing in groups of three each day. After 36 holes, the tournament makes a cut, allowing the top 65 players and ties to continue.

For the third and fourth rounds, the tournament determines pairings and tee times based on each player’s cumulative score from the previous rounds. Players with the highest scores tee off first, followed by others in descending order, culminating with the two players who have the lowest scores in the final group. But what happens in the case of a playoff?

Well, to resolve any ties after 72 holes, the tournament will conduct a playoff under PGA Tour rules. And that means, the John Deere Classic uses a sudden-death format, with playoff holes looping back to 18, where qualifying players compete hole-by-hole until one player scores the lowest and is declared the winner. And now that we have looked at the format, here’s how Tour pros are keeping up with the challenge TPC Deere Run.

Doug Ghim believes he has a chance at the 2025 John Deere Classic

Still in his search for the first PGA Tour win, Doug Ghim recorded an eagle on the par-4 sixth hole and kept bogeys off his card during a low-scoring day on Thursday. Following the stunning first round, Ghim said, “Honestly, any time you can get to 20 under or better you’re going to have a chance. It’s still golf. It’s still a challenge. You have to hit fairways. I hit a lot of them today.” And he did indeed do that. He finished fourth in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee with a score of 1.733 and recorded an impressive driving accuracy of 85.71%, hitting 12 out of 14 fairways, which tied him for eighth.

Max Homa and Austin Eckroat trailed leader Ghim by one shot after both carded 63s in the first round. Despite struggling in 2025, Homa remained in contention for the lead until he bogeyed the ninth hole. Eckroat started strong, making two eagles in his first five holes, including a hole-out from 137 yards at the fifth.

Four players—David Lipsky, Sam Stevens, Justin Lower, and 2018 winner Michael Kim—shot 64, while Rickie Fowler recorded a 65, highlighted by a 29 on the front nine. Defending champion Davis Thompson finished with a 68, and Jason Day struggled with a 74. The projected cut line is predicted to be around -3, and golfers like Ben Griffin, Patrick Rodgers, and Tom Kim, among others, are in danger of missing the cut.

So, given a series of low scores at the 2025 John Deere Classic, it will be interesting to see who will make it to the top on Sunday!