|
Top PGA Tour Players Commit To Play In The 2003 John Deere Classic Contact Barry Cronin EAST MOLINE, Ill. (July 14, 2003) - Eight players currently ranked among the top 30 on the PGA Tour money list have committed to play in the 2003 John Deere Classic set for Sept. 8-14 at the Tournament Players Club at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. The players and their rankings are: Chad Campbell (12), Jerry Kelly (16), Rory Sabbatini (21), Kirk Triplett (24), Jeff Sluman (27), John Rollins (28), Woody Austin (29), and Robert Gamez (30). Ranking were as of July 11. "We are thrilled that so many of the PGA Tour's top players already have decided to compete in this year's John Deere Classic," said Tournament Director Clair Peterson. "Their presence will give the great golf fans of the Quad Cities and our pro-am players an opportunity to experience some of the game's top players up close in one of the most beautiful settings on the PGA Tour, the TPC at Deere Run." Peterson said he hopes the bigger name players will enjoy Deere Run so much they will be inclined to play in the tournament when its 2004-06 dates move to the week before the British Open. "We believe that the positive experiences the top players have at the TPC at Deere Run and in the Quad Cities will encourage them to participate in the tournament on a more regular basis," Peterson said. The 2003 John Deere Classic field also includes six players from the top 50 on the Official World Golf Rankings, including Kelly (19th), Sluman (39th), Triplett (45th ), and Rollins (50th). The other two are Australian Peter Lonard (35th in the world) and San Diego native Chris Riley (43rd), who tied for fifth in the 2002 John Deere Classic won by J.P. Hayes. Hayes has said he plans to defend his title. In addition, the field includes a group of intriguing young players, including 2002 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Jonathon Byrd; Australia's Aaron Baddeley, who won the 1999 Australian Open as an amateur and successfully defended his title the following year, and Matt Kuchar, once everyone's favorite amateur and now a PGA Tour champion. Other committed players ranked among the top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings are: Scott McCarron (67th) and Alex Cejka (72nd). Earlier, 2002 U.S. Amateur champion Ricky Barnes accepted a sponsor's exemption to play in the John Deere Classic. In addition, longtime fan favorites D.A. Weibring, a three-time Quad City champion and designer of Deere Run, and Peter Jacobsen, one of the game's great ambassadors, have committed to play. |