Monday qualifiers: John Deere Classic
Four players qualified for the John Deere Classic at Monday’s open qualifier, securing tee times at the Quad Cities’ longtime TOUR event at TPC Deere Run.
Joshua Creel earned medalist honors with a 7-under 65 at Pinnacle Country Club in Milan, Illinois, followed by Chase Johnson at 6-under 66.
Blake Hathcoat and amateur Anders Larson qualified via a 4-for-2 playoff at 5-under 67. Falling just short in the playoff were Jack Sparrow and Mike Van Sickle.
Read below for more information on the four qualifiers.
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Joshua Creel (7-under 65)
Age: 34
Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyoming
Alma mater: University of Central Oklahoma
PGA TOUR starts: 23
Cuts made: 5
Best PGA TOUR finish: T16, 2022 Barracuda Championship
Notes: Carded seven birdies in a bogey-free qualifying round … Showed resilience after five consecutive missed cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour. Competing on Korn Ferry Tour full-time this season; stands No. 148 on season-long standings with six made cuts in 14 starts overall … Was a PGA TOUR member in the 2022 season, but he lost his card with a No. 216 finish on the FedExCup … Keeps his brother’s dog tags as lucky charms … Favorite quote is, “If you’ve never made a mistake, you’ve never tried something new.”
Chase Johnson (6-under 66)
Age: 28
Hometown: Barberton, Ohio
Alma mater: Kent State
PGA TOUR starts: 7
Cuts made: 3
Best PGA TOUR finish: 51st, 2024 The Genesis Invitational
Notes: Made five birdies and an eagle against one bogey in qualifying round … This will mark his fourth TOUR start of the season; he made the cut at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera, a Signature Event, as recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption. Also competed at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches on a sponsor exemption, and he Monday qualified into the Corales Puntacana Championship … Has made 37 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, highlighted by a runner-up at The Ascendant presented by Blue in 2020, one stroke back of Will Zalatoris.
Blake Hathcoat (5-under 67, advanced via playoff)
Age: 26
Hometown: Fresno, California
Alma mater: St. Mary’s College
PGA TOUR starts: 1
Cuts made: 0
Notes: Made four birdies and an eagle against one bogey in qualifying round, then advanced in a playoff … Has made 19 career starts on PGA TOUR Canada, highlighted by a tie for eighth at the 2022 Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Ontario Open … Debuted on TOUR at the 2023 Fortinet Championship, also as a Monday qualifier, missing the cut with rounds of 76-68 … Played five seasons at St. Mary’s College in California, twice named First Team All-WCC. … Also played club and high school soccer.
Anders Larson (5-under 67, advanced via playoff)
Age: 20
Hometown: Pine Island, Minnesota
Current college: Tennessee Tech; rising junior
PGA TOUR starts: 1
Cuts made: 0
Notes: Made four birdies and an eagle against one bogey in qualifying round, then advanced in a playoff … He has now gone back-to-back at John Deere Classic Monday qualifiers; he debuted on TOUR last year at TPC Deere Run, missing the cut with rounds of 72-82 … Compiled a 73.83 scoring average as a college sophomore in 2023-24 … Was a three-sport athlete at Pine Island High School, competing in basketball and baseball as well as golf … Placed third individually at the Minnesota 2A state championship as a senior, while also leading his program to its first state title … Majoring in business management with a concentration in production and operations management.