In a true storybook ending, University of Illinois alum Brian Campbell defeated Emiliano Grillo in a playoff to emerge victorious at the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. It’s the tournament where Campbell made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur 10 years ago to the day.
“It’s surreal,” Campbell said. “I don’t know what’s going on. But it all started here as an amateur, my first invite here, and I’ve loved it ever since. I have no words.”
It’s Campbell’s second win on the PGA Tour and second of the season after winning the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld in February. He joins Ben Griffin and Ryan Fox as the third 2025 first-time winner to collect multiple victories. On Sunday, Campbell battled against a congested leaderboard, where 10 players held at least a share of the lead.
Going into the final round, Thompson was one-stroke behind 54-hole leader and defending champion Davis Thompson. However, in the Sunday rain, Thompson got off to a slow start as others climbed up the leaderboard. Max Homa briefly held the lead before Campbell passed him with birdies on 10, 11 and 13
Disaster struck when Campbell pulled his drive on 15 into the penalty area, resulting in a double bogey. Grillo took a brief one-stroke lead before a three-putt bogey on the 15th dropped him into a three-way tie with Campbell and Kevin Roy. David Lipsky joined the trio with a birdie on 14.
After a birdie on 17 and a par on 18, Campbell set the clubhouse mark at 18-under. Grillo matched that finish to force a potential playoff. It looked like Lipsky might factor into the playoff or win outright after an eagle on 17 put him at 18-under. However, a poor tee shot on 18 and a lip-out for par solidified the two-man playoff.
During the 40 minutes Campbell spent waiting for the playoff, he chose to relax instead of practice.
“It’s grueling out here,” Campbell said. “We’re sweating, it’s hot. I think we really needed to take a break and get some water rather than go out and beat balls and putt for who knows how many minutes.”
On the first playoff hole, Campbell hit a beautiful approach shot to 16 feet on the green while Grillo caught a flier from the rough that sailed well over and led to bogey. A two-putt par for Campbell proved good enough for the win.
Auburn University’s Jackson Koivun, the top-ranked amateur in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, played himself into contention. Koivun recorded his best PGA Tour finish in six starts with a tie for 11th, shooting 74-64-68-67 (15-under).
“This week was good,” Koivun said. “It shows me I can come out here and do it.”
Koivun’s performance might be a sign of things to come, as the amateur earned his 20th PGA Tour University Accelerated point earlier this year, making him eligible for Tour membership. However, Koivun decided to defer his tour card and return to Auburn for his junior year.
Sunday brought some somber news at the John Deere when news came out that Ed Fiori, the 1996 champion when it was called the Quad Cities Classic, had died at age 72. Fiori, a four-time PGA Tour winner, was battling cancer.
Fiori’s 1996 win at Oakwood Country Club came at the expense of 20-year-old rookie Tiger Woods, the 54-hole leader who played with the 43-year-old Fiori in both weekend rounds. Fourteen years removed from his previous win, Fiori overcame the hype around the young phenom, who made a quadruple bogey on the fourth hole and faded to fifth. Woods had to wait another three weeks to earn the first of 82 wins, at the Las Vegas Invitational. It was Fiori’s last on the PGA Tour, though he won once more on the senior circuit.
“Playing with Tiger kind of raised my intensity a little bit. It brought my game up with it, I guess,” Fiori said.
Everett Munez