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PGA Contenders Committed To Play In 2003 John Deere Classic Contact Barry Cronin EAST MOLINE, Ill. (August 17, 2003) - Five of the six players making up the last three pairings in Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship have committed to compete in the John Deere Classic, including the winner, Shaun Micheel. Micheel is scheduled to join his final round playing partner and runner-up Chad Campbell, South African Timothy Clark, who finished third; Alex Cejka (4th), and Briny Baird (T-39) at the John Deere Classic set for September 8-14 at the Tournament Players Club at Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. "The 2003 PGA Championship is the most recent evidence that the PGA Tour is full of great players, some of whom are better known than others, but all of whom can play great golf whether or not their names have so-called 'marquee' value," Peterson said. "For years, the John Deere Classic has been a tournament of stars-in-the-making - a proving ground, so to speak. This year, many of the players in our field already have made their names - some as recently as Sunday afternoon." The one player in the Sunday's last three pairings who has not yet committed to play in the Quad Cities is Masters champion Mike Weir. But Weir has not ruled out playing here, according to Peterson. Like British Open champion Ben Curtis, Micheel & Company are expected to join the likes of fellow major championship winners Vijay Singh, Greg Norman, Mark Calcavecchia and others in the Quad Cities. However, PGA Tour rules also give them - and any player - the option of reworking their schedules in light of other demands and opportunities resulting from their major championship victories.
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