2019 John Deere Classic helps raise a record $13.82 milion for local and regional charities

Another big year for the John Deere Classic.

On Thursday, October 31st the John Deere Classic tournament officials announced the golf tournament helped raise a record $13.82 million for 542 local and regional charities.

Tournament officials also announced that each participating charity will receive a 7.25 percent bonus in addition to the money raised through the Birdies for Charity program, 50 percent more than the tournament’s guaranteed five percent bonus.

“The John Deere Classic is thrilled to announce that the tournament has helped raise $13.82 million for 542 deserving charities in 2019,” said tournament director Clair Peterson. “Everyone involved with this charitable mission is proud and very appreciative of the individual donors, companies, and local foundations who made 2019’s charitable total the largest in tournament history.”

With the 2019 donations, the John Deere Classic now has helped raise a total of $120.87 million for charity since the tournament began in 1971, with $118.32 million – 98 percent - coming since John Deere assumed the title sponsorship in 1998.

The $13.82 million 2019 total works out to $36.85 for each of the Quad Cities’ 375,000 residents, again making the John Deere Classic the No. 1 in per capita contributions on the regular PGA TOUR.

Overall, the John Deere Classic ranks among the top three in charitable giving on the PGA TOUR.

This year, tournament contestants recorded 2,091 birdies from Wednesday through Sunday during the John Deere Classic pro-am and tournament rounds at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. Individuals who pledged a penny per birdie would donate $20.91 to their designated charity or charities. Other individuals, foundations and institutions donate lump sums.

After Thursday's news conference, John Deere Classic officials also gave away a two-year lease on a Lexus NX – courtesy of Lexus of Quad Cities – to one of five finalists who correctly guessed the exact number of birdies this year.

The free Lexus NX lease program annually serves as an incentive to potential donors to participate in the Birdies program. Lexus of Quad Cities also provides courtesy cars for John Deere Classic contestants and on-course evacuation vehicles.

“Birdies for Charity is extremely grateful that Lexus of Quad Cities has made such a strong commitment to the John Deere Classic and to the hundreds of charities we serve in the Quad Cities and neighboring communities,” said Birdies for Charity director Kristy Ketcham-Jackson. “The opportunity for Birdies for Charity donors to win a two-year lease on a Lexus NX adds an extra incentive and an element of fun and excitement to the pledge drive and to tournament week itself.”