Spieth to sit out John Deere Classic again
July 5, 2017 | 12:00 AM
Jordan Spieth of the United States watches his shot from the 14th tee during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. — AFP
July 5, 2017 | 12:00 AM
Last Updated: July 5, 2017 | 12:00 AM
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SILVIS, Ill. — Jordan Spieth has decided to skip the John Deere Classic to prepare for the British Open. Spieth is a two-time winner of the tournament. He won the John Deere Classic in 2013 on a sponsor's exemption, which sent him to the FedEx Cup playoffs and a spot on the Presidents Cup team at age 19. He won again in 2015, even though it meant not getting to the British Open until Monday when he was going after the third leg of the Grand Slam.
He did not defend his title at the TPC Deere Run last year. The tournament was the same week as the Olympics, and when Spieth joined other top stars in not going to Rio de Janeiro, he felt it would be disrespectful to play anywhere else that week.
The John Deere Classic is July 13-16. The British Open at Royal Birkdale is the following week. "I love the tournament, I love the golf course and, more importantly, I love the people," Spieth said. "While my schedule doesn't permit me returning to the Quad Cities this year, I plan to be back in the future."
Spieth has two victories this year, most recently the Travelers Championship, which he added to his schedule as part of a new PGA Tour policy that players add one tournament they haven't played in the last four years.
Fleetwood prepares for special homecoming
Tommy Fleetwood's dramatic win at the French Open pushed his world ranking to a career-high 15 on Monday, as the 26-year-old looked forward to being thrust center stage in England's sporting summer.
Partly by dint of his recent form, which also saw him finish fourth at the US Open, and partly by accident of birth, he will be under the spotlight this month when the British Open is staged at Royal Birkdale, a few miles up the Lancashire coast from Fleetwood's Southport birthplace.
It should prove an emotional homecoming for the local lad who used to sneak into one of England's most prestigious clubs to hit a few shots because his tarmac-layer father could not afford the sky-high green fees.
Money, of course, is no longer an issue and Sunday's $1.3 million pay check from Le golf National took his 2017 earnings to $2.4 million and career winnings past the $11 million mark. That eye-watering figure will rise further should he become the first English winner of a British Open for 25 years later this month.
"Birkdale is going to be a massive week for me," he said last month. "I'm going to be playing in front of crowds that I never have before and people that I have grown up with. It's going to be an amazing experience from start to finish."
Fleetwood's engaging manner makes him a natural for the media glare, which will surround him. But the formbook suggests Fleetwood has every right to be considered among the favorites to win at the links course he knows better than anyone.
Sunday's win was his second of the season and third of his career, and he is 800,000 pounds ($1.0 million) ahead of second-placed Sergio Garcia, the US Masters champion, in the Race to Dubai money list.
"That is a real goal now," Fleetwood said on Sunday. "It's difficult because I was a long way ahead early on and then Sergio won the Masters and then I was a million points behind. But yeah, it's great to be leading the Race to Dubai.
"It is something that I'll look at now and no matter what happens, come the last event, I'm going to have a chance of winning the Order of Merit. That's something that will be very special.
"Life's just been great. I'm engaged, expecting a baby, my fiancée is my manager, my caddie's one of my best mates in the world. Thommo (Alan Thompson), I think, is the best coach in the world — everybody around me I have really strong relationships with, and when you enjoy doing your job that's a massive positive."
And it will get even better should he secure a British Open victory in front of his home fans on the course that helped forge his career. — Agencies
He did not defend his title at the TPC Deere Run last year. The tournament was the same week as the Olympics, and when Spieth joined other top stars in not going to Rio de Janeiro, he felt it would be disrespectful to play anywhere else that week.
The John Deere Classic is July 13-16. The British Open at Royal Birkdale is the following week. "I love the tournament, I love the golf course and, more importantly, I love the people," Spieth said. "While my schedule doesn't permit me returning to the Quad Cities this year, I plan to be back in the future."
Spieth has two victories this year, most recently the Travelers Championship, which he added to his schedule as part of a new PGA Tour policy that players add one tournament they haven't played in the last four years.
Fleetwood prepares for special homecoming
Tommy Fleetwood's dramatic win at the French Open pushed his world ranking to a career-high 15 on Monday, as the 26-year-old looked forward to being thrust center stage in England's sporting summer.
Partly by dint of his recent form, which also saw him finish fourth at the US Open, and partly by accident of birth, he will be under the spotlight this month when the British Open is staged at Royal Birkdale, a few miles up the Lancashire coast from Fleetwood's Southport birthplace.
It should prove an emotional homecoming for the local lad who used to sneak into one of England's most prestigious clubs to hit a few shots because his tarmac-layer father could not afford the sky-high green fees.
Money, of course, is no longer an issue and Sunday's $1.3 million pay check from Le golf National took his 2017 earnings to $2.4 million and career winnings past the $11 million mark. That eye-watering figure will rise further should he become the first English winner of a British Open for 25 years later this month.
"Birkdale is going to be a massive week for me," he said last month. "I'm going to be playing in front of crowds that I never have before and people that I have grown up with. It's going to be an amazing experience from start to finish."
Fleetwood's engaging manner makes him a natural for the media glare, which will surround him. But the formbook suggests Fleetwood has every right to be considered among the favorites to win at the links course he knows better than anyone.
Sunday's win was his second of the season and third of his career, and he is 800,000 pounds ($1.0 million) ahead of second-placed Sergio Garcia, the US Masters champion, in the Race to Dubai money list.
"That is a real goal now," Fleetwood said on Sunday. "It's difficult because I was a long way ahead early on and then Sergio won the Masters and then I was a million points behind. But yeah, it's great to be leading the Race to Dubai.
"It is something that I'll look at now and no matter what happens, come the last event, I'm going to have a chance of winning the Order of Merit. That's something that will be very special.
"Life's just been great. I'm engaged, expecting a baby, my fiancée is my manager, my caddie's one of my best mates in the world. Thommo (Alan Thompson), I think, is the best coach in the world — everybody around me I have really strong relationships with, and when you enjoy doing your job that's a massive positive."
And it will get even better should he secure a British Open victory in front of his home fans on the course that helped forge his career. — Agencies
