The PGA Tour is set to resume its schedule in two weeks, but it will do so without the 2020 John Deere Classic.
The tournament, which was supposed to take place July 9 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., is canceled this year due to “ongoing local and state-related challenges related to gathering restrictions,” the Tour on Thursday announced via a statement.
This year would have been the 50th anniversary of the tournament, and the fifth event back since the Tour canceled the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass back in March. Now, it hopes to replace the John Deere Classic with a different event, potentially at Sawgrass, per Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker.
It also was supposed to be the first event on the resumed schedule to have spectators. That was, in hindsight, wishful thinking.
“For us, we just couldn’t make it all work,” tournament director Peterson said, via ESPN’s Bob Harig. “Illinois has very serious — and rightly so — restrictions. We respect those. It says no gatherings of more than 50 people through the summer. That’s a tough one.
“We have a small clubhouse, small parking lot. It’s very difficult to get everything established from a social distancing standpoint, including locker rooms and everything else. Our title sponsor (John Deere) has been incredibly supportive, and during this pandemic they have been very cautious with their employees. So when all those things come into play, whatever version of the tournament we put on, we wouldn’t be able to pull off with fans part of it. And that’s a a money losing proposition. How much money can we afford to lose? How does our reserve fund look?”
For now, the resumed season will tee off June 11-14 with the Charles Schwab Challenge, to be played at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
