This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.
The final round of the John Deere Classic was reminiscent of a race in the schoolyard. You know, when the really fast kid doesn't try and lets the really slow kid think he can win. And then the really fast kid speeds up at the very end to win by inches. And you feel bad for the slow kid. (Actually, kids are cruel -- nobody felt bad for the slow kid.)
Which brings us to Jordan Spieth, aka the fast kid, and Tom Gillis, aka the guy who is not going to beat Jordan Spieth.
Spieth came from four shots down with six to play to tie Gillis at 20-under 264 after 72 holes on Sunday, then won on the second hole of sudden death. It was his fourth win of the year, the first golfer to do that before the Open Championship since Tiger Woods in 2000. The 21-year-old Spieth now heads to St. Andrews vying for his third straight major and to keep alive his bid for the first Grand Slam.
For Gillis, this may have been his last, best shot at his first brass ring. He entered ranked 643rd in the world, days shy of turning 47 and has never won in 172 PGA Tour events dating to 1993. Now, 172 events in 22 years is not a lot, but then Gillis did not get his first card till 10 years later in 2003 and took 17 years to earn his first million. He's played golf professionally
The final round of the John Deere Classic was reminiscent of a race in the schoolyard. You know, when the really fast kid doesn't try and lets the really slow kid think he can win. And then the really fast kid speeds up at the very end to win by inches. And you feel bad for the slow kid. (Actually, kids are cruel -- nobody felt bad for the slow kid.)
Which brings us to Jordan Spieth, aka the fast kid, and Tom Gillis, aka the guy who is not going to beat Jordan Spieth.
Spieth came from four shots down with six to play to tie Gillis at 20-under 264 after 72 holes on Sunday, then won on the second hole of sudden death. It was his fourth win of the year, the first golfer to do that before the Open Championship since Tiger Woods in 2000. The 21-year-old Spieth now heads to St. Andrews vying for his third straight major and to keep alive his bid for the first Grand Slam.
For Gillis, this may have been his last, best shot at his first brass ring. He entered ranked 643rd in the world, days shy of turning 47 and has never won in 172 PGA Tour events dating to 1993. Now, 172 events in 22 years is not a lot, but then Gillis did not get his first card till 10 years later in 2003 and took 17 years to earn his first million. He's played golf professionally in 29 countries (who knew there was pro golf in 29 countries?).
Spieth was the overnight leader heading merrily toward his second career Deere title when a funny thing happened: He started making bogeys. He dropped shots on two of the first three holes and, while others were enjoying the birdie-fest, Spieth played the first 11 holes in 1-over. Conversely, Gillis was 7-under through 12.
But seemingly able to turn it on just as he need to at the last possible moment, Spieth birdied 13, 14, 16 and 17 - two of the putts were over 20 feet. But he still needed help from Gillis. The veteran opened the door by pushing a four-footer for par on the par-3 16th, and that was all Spieth needed. On the second playoff hole, Gillis sent his approach into the water. And, unlike the slow kid, you really did feel bad for him.
So now Spieth heads to St. Andrews, where he will be the overwhelming favorite with Rory McIlroy sidelined. If he wins, he'll continue what may be the greatest season on record. If he doesn't, many will point to the Deere as the reason. Why play it instead of head overseas to prepare? It's just a shade above an opposite-field event, with Spieth the only top-20 golfer in the field. And the TPC Deere Run is about as far from the Old Course as, well, as Illinois is from Scotland.
We'll find out in less than a week. And next year at this time, Spieth will be back to defend his title. His John Deere title.
MONDAY TAKEAWAY
Tom Gillis
Previously, Gillis' best career finish was co-runner-up at the 2012 Honda. You have to hand it to him. He loses to the best -- McIlroy won that tournament and Woods tied for second. Gillis is now 122nd in the point standings but in all likelihood will not finish in the top 125. This was his first top 25 of the season, so he's not a real fantasy option. One silver lining for him? He qualified for the Open Championship (he's probably teed it up in Scotland before). Gillis played in it once before, finishing 58th in 2008. That's his best showing ever in six career majors.
Zach Johnson
The Iowan is another guy who plays the Deere every year, and pads his numbers at the Deere every year -- he's now finished top-three five years running, winning in 2012. Johnson tied for third this go-round, a shot out of the playoff. And he's had some great finishes at the Open Championship -- top 16 in 2011, top 10 the next two years. So maybe that bodes well for Spieth -- and for Johnson's owners.
Danny Lee
Last week's winner was paired with Spieth the first two rounds, and again on Sunday as he was in contention. But he bogeyed 18 to miss the playoff by a stroke, and that after getting a one-shot penalty on No. 4 for inexplicably picking up his ball thinking they were playing clean-and-place (they did so on Saturday). Still, that's two huge weeks in a row for Lee. It likely stops at the Old Course, but it will be interesting to see how impactful Lee will be the rest of the season.
Steve Stricker
Stricker, yes, is another Midwesterner who plays the Deere every year, even in semi-retirement. He opened with a 65 but couldn't sustain it, finishing tied for 35th at 9-under. That's probably the way it is for Stricker now - unable to string to together four good rounds, or maybe not even three. Sure, if he's on your team, you pretty much have to start him whenever he plays. But as far as DraftKings, probably not. Stricker won't be in the Open Championship but will be in the PGA Championship in his native Wisconsin. He could be invigorated there, and making the cut would be an accomplishment. But just imagine if Spieth were going for the Grand Slam at Whistling Straits in a Sunday duel with the crowd favorite Stricker. That would be fun.
Shawn Stefani
Stefani has been one of the surprises of the season, with three top-10s and a whopping 10 top-25s, leaving him 29th in the points - Tour Championship territory - heading into the Deere. Beginning Sunday in third, three shots behind Spieth, he had a chance at his first career title. But he imploded to a four-over 76, the second-worst round of the day. It goes to show that playing really well on tour and winning on tour are light years apart. It had to be a disappointing revelation for Stefani, and Stefani owners (myself included).
Rickie Fowler
Fowler won the Scottish Open on Sunday to vault himself onto the short list of Open Championship contenders. He already has two top-fives at the major the past four years, including runner-up to McIlroy last year. But as good as Fowler played this past week, and in winning The Players Championship in May, he hasn't been able to put together a good stretch of events. In his two U.S. starts since winning The Player, he missed the cut at both the Memorial and the U.S. Open.
Phil Mickelson
Mickelson tied for 31st in Scotland, and did so only by running up the leaderboard 26 spots on Sunday. Surely there will be talk about Mickelson being a threat at St. Andrews, but a very high finish would be a surprise.
Justin Rose
On the other hand, the Englishman tumbled down the leaderboard on Sunday, shooting a 76 to drop 56 places, to 74th. He's had two top-15s the past three years at the Open Championship, but never seriously contended after his remarkable debut back in 1998, when he tied for fourth as an amateur.
Jimmy Walker
Walker opened with a 65 in Scotland, but thereafter played 70-78-70 for an 82nd-place showing. Give him credit for heading overseas early to get acclimated, and he's shown a propensity to adapt to a course quickly. But he's never played St. Andrews before, and a top-25 would be an accomplishment.
