John Deere Classic 2015: Final Leaderboard Scores, Prize Money Payouts and More
Jordan Spieth started Sunday's final round of the John Deere Classic with a two-stroke lead on the strength of a scintillating third-round 61.
The game didn't come as easy to Spieth as he sought to seal the deal at TPC Deere Run, yet the 21-year-old showed the rare composure necessary to pull off a dramatic playoff victory. Check out the top finishers and the prize money from a thrilling finish in Silvis, Illinois:
| 1 | Jordan Spieth | 71-64-61-68 | -20 | $846,000 |
| 2 | Tom Gillis | 66-65-69-64 | -20 | $507,600 |
| T3 | Zach Johnson | 66-68-66-65 | -19 | $272,600 |
| T3 | Danny Lee | 68-68-62-67 | -19 | $272,600 |
| T5 | Chris Stroud | 68-68-67-63 | -18 | $171,550 |
| T5 | Johnson Wagner | 68-63-68-67 | -18 | $171,550 |
| T5 | Justin Thomas | 63-67-69-67 | -18 | $171,550 |
| T8 | Steve Wheatcroft | 67-66-70-65 | -16 | $131,600 |
| T8 | Will Wilcox | 66-66-69-67 | -16 | $131,600 |
| T8 | Kevin Chappell | 68-69-64-67 | -16 | $131,600 |
| T8 | Daniel Summerhays | 65-67-68-68 | -16 | $131,600 |
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After a sluggish start to the last 18 holes, Spieth turned it on down the stretch, birdieing four of his last five holes to force extra holes with veteran journeyman Tom Gillis.
The pair parred the par-four 18th before Gillis' second shot found the water on the second extra hole. The PGA Tour's official Twitter account had the footage:
Gillis' blunder opened the door for Spieth to secure the win with a two-putt par from below the hole.
Those who like comparisons—well, one in particular—may get a kick out of this anecdote from ESPN.com's Jason Sobel and Golf Channel's Justin Ray:
Turning our attention to the prize-money element of the comparatively less lucrative John Deere Classic, check out the stat Ray provided prior to the playoff:
Spieth was one over par through 12 holes on Sunday before stepping on the gas. He seemed to will the ball into the hole as only the greatest champions in golf history have proved to do. This marks Spieth's fourth win of the season and fifth of his career, adding to his initial breakthrough at the 2013 John Deere Classic that also required a playoff.
The most dramatic of Spieth's spectacular shots came following a slight disappointment. His tee ball on the par-three 16th went right at the flag but was a bit long over the green.
Because of a pitch mark impeding his path to the hole, Spieth had to chip rather than putt from just off the surface. One could call that pesky pitch mark serendipitous in light of what happened next:
If it weren't for Spieth winning the first two majors of the season and having previously claimed his first PGA Tour victory at this tournament in 2013, his precocious playing partner Danny Lee would have been a far bigger story.
A four-way playoff at last week's Greenbrier Classic saw Lee come out on top for his maiden tour triumph.
Just 24 years old, Lee is among the best young talents in golf and fed off Spieth's energy with birdies at Nos. 14, 16 and 17. The closing hole saw Lee hit an untimely wayward drive that meandered into the right rough, and he failed to get up and down after missing the green.
Lee incurred a one-stroke penalty on No. 4 when he thought the rules were "lift, clean and place," which cost him dearly considering he finished just one behind Spieth and Gillis.
Tied with Lee was 2012 event champion Zach Johnson, who lipped out for birdie on No. 18 with a chance to head to the clubhouse at 20 under par.
Six birdies in the first eight holes gave Gillis the inside track to the trophy. He had the opportunity to make some extraordinary history, per Golf on CBS:
But it was Gillis who was unable to stay poised down the stretch rather than the fearless young guns who were chasing him. A bogey on the par-three 16th preceded a blown birdie chance at the short par-five No. 17, where Gillis chunked his chip short of the green:
PGATour.com's Sean Martin had a most appropriate reaction to how Spieth handled the unlikely Sunday charge Gillis staged:
Spieth spoke after his win about how he responded following a lackluster level-par 71 in the opening round.
"To be able to shoot 20-under in three rounds is nice momentum," said Spieth, per the Associated Press' Luke Meredith. "The finish, when I really didn't feel like tee to green I had much (Sunday), gives me a lot of momentum to draw on if I don't have my best stuff. "
The game of golf is in good hands following Sunday's worldwide results, as Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman pointed out:
It's quite a bummer injured world No. 1 Rory McIlroy won't be able to make the trip to St Andrews in defense of the Claret Jug at next week's Open Championship. A head-to-head battle with the second-ranked Spieth could have been reasonable to hope for.
However, the Home of Golf won't disappoint in hosting the season's third major championship if recent developments are any indication. Spieth is firing on all cylinders, and Rickie Fowler won the Scottish Open on the links of Gullane Golf Club on Sunday.
Those two have to be considered big favorites entering the British Open. To hark back to Tiger Woods, he won The Open Championship at St Andrews in 2000 and 2005 and showed improvement with three of four rounds in the 60s at the Greenbrier Classic in his last start.
Louis Oosthuizen won the last British Open at St Andrews and finished just one shot behind Spieth at the 2015 U.S. Open. The national championship co-runner-up, Dustin Johnson, is long overdue for a first major, too.
It won't be hard to get excited for the next major on the horizon. With yet another win on his budding resume, though, Spieth will be the primary focus as he tries to pull off the third leg of the calendar Grand Slam.
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