5 big name players missing from the 2023 John Deere Classic field
The PGA Tour now moves to Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, for the John Deere Classic 2023, which will take place from Thursday, July 6 to Sunday, July 9.
The 156-player field at the Deere Run will not feature most of the top players, as none of the top 10 and only eight of the top-50 ranked players are competing in this week's PGA Tour event.
While Cameron Young (19) will be the only top-20 ranked golfer teeing off on Thursday at Deere Run, most of the prominent names will not be teeing off this week given that the John Deere Classic is not the designated event on the PGA Tour. For the uninitiated, top-ranked players are allowed to leave only one of the PGA Tour-designated events.
Here's a look at five top-ranked players not playing in the 2023 John Deere Classic.
#1 Scottie Scheffler
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has opted out for the second week in a row on the PGA Tour. He was last seen competing at the Travelers Championship, where he made his sixth consecutive top-5 finish of the season as he ended the tournament at T4.
Scheffler has never competed at the John Deere Classic in his career so far, and this time too he decided to opt out of it. With the Open Championship coming in a few weeks, it will be interesting to see if he plays at any event before the final major of the year.
#2 John Rahm
Jon Rahm is also skipping this week's event on the PGA Tour's schedule. He has played at the Deere Run only once, in 2016, when he finished T14.
Rahm was last seen competing at the TPC River Highlands, where he failed to make the cut. This was his first missed cut of this season, which has otherwise been an incredible one for him. The Spaniard has claimed four titles this season, including the 2023 Masters. He has also finished in the top 10 nine times in 16 starts this season.
#3 Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy will not be seen in action this week. He was last seen playing at the Travelers Championship, where he finished T7, his fifth straight top-10 finish this season.
The 34-year-old Northern Irishman has been winless on the PGA Tour this season. However, he has finished runner-up twice, most recently at the US Open, where he lost to Wyndham Clark by just a single stroke.
#4 Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay has never competed at the John Deere Classic, and that is not going to change this time either. He will be absent from this week's event.
The World No. 4 golfer finished T4 at the Travelers Championship, the last event he was seen playing at.
#5 Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland played the John Deere Classic in 2019, his only appearance so far at the event. Since then, he has skipped the event.
The 25-year-old Norwegian won his fourth event on the PGA Tour last month when he triumphed at the Memorial Tournament in a playoff. Since then, he has played at the US Open and the Travelers Championship, where he finished 19th and 29th, respectively.