Three PGA Tour players withdraw on eve of John Deere Classic
The tournament field has been reshuffled after Jhonattan Vegas, Nico Echavarria and Taylor Montgomery withdrew ahead of Thursday's opening round.
Three players have withdrawn from this week's John Deere Classic on the eve of the tournament, with the PGA Tour confirming all three exits were for undisclosed reasons.
Four-time PGA Tour winner Jhonattan Vegas, three-time winner Nico Echavarria, and Taylor Montgomery all pulled out of the event before Thursday's opening round at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.
The withdrawals have prompted three late changes to the field. Three-time PGA Tour winner Cameron Champ replaces Echavarria, Will Gordon comes in for Vegas, while Noah Goodwin takes Montgomery's place.
The changes mean the John Deere Classic will tee off with a full 144-player field despite the late withdrawals.
This year's tournament marks the 55th edition of the John Deere Classic and takes place over the Fourth of July holiday weekend at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.
Although it is not one of the PGA Tour's Signature Events, the John Deere Classic still boasts a sizeable prize fund. A total purse of $8.8 million is on offer this week, with the winner set to collect $1.84 million.
While the field may not be the strongest of the PGA Tour season, it is headed by in-form Ben Griffin and Chris Gotterup, who are both looking to continue their impressive careers with another victory.
One of the biggest storylines this week is the professional debut of world number one amateur Jackson Koivun. The highly-rated American has already attracted plenty of attention in the betting markets and is attempting to become just the third player in PGA Tour history to win on his professional debut.
Defending champion Brian Campbell also returns after defeating Emiliano Grillo in a playoff 12 months ago. Campbell is bidding to become the first player to successfully defend the John Deere Classic since Steve Stricker won the tournament in three successive years from 2009 to 2011.
Three-time major champion Jordan Spieth and fan favourite Rickie Fowler are also in the field as both players look to reignite their seasons and boost their hopes of qualifying for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Andy Roberts first joined GolfMagic on a month's work experience back in April 2011.
Andy then assumed the role of GolfMagic Editor in 2015.
