John Deere Classic: Patrick Rodgers gets sponsor exemption after a sentimental letter to Clair Peterson
Patrick Rodgers, a sophomore at Stanford University, has been added to the published field of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run, slated to start from Thursday, July 12, 2012.
Rodgers received a sponsor exemption to play the PGA Tour event in Illinois after he wrote a convincing letter to the tournament’s Director Clair Peterson about his affection for the event.
The letter was so sentimental and affectionate that it deeply touched Peterson.
“The AJGA puts on a great event that showcases our community and allows players and families to become acquainted with us,” Peterson said. “He wrote us just a terrific, heart-felt letter”.
While talking to the PGA Tour official website, Rodgers told that he was there at the Glynns Creek Golf Course in order to participate in the 2007 American Junior Golf Association event.
At the same time, John Deere Classic was being played. Therefore, he, along with a friend, moved to TPC Deere Run for the final round and saw Jonathan Byrd taking the trophy home, as the third PGA Tour victory of his career.
“We couldn’t get enough of it, so we just kind of hung around and waited for everybody to leave and walked the back nine and relived everything that we had just seen,” Rodgers said.
“We went to the range, and there was a bunch of fescue all around the range, so we thought it would be a cool thing to pick up all the golf balls from the range that had been left over”.
He also told that it was not his first experience at Deere Run, as he participated in the Plantations junior golf event held at the same venue a year before.
According to him, he always likes to come and watch the PGA Tour professionals display their skills. As a result, he learns different things that help him bring improvements in his own game.
It is now his second sponsor’s exemption on the PGA Tour, as he participated in the Travelers Championship last month as well. However, he failed to make the cut after recording 72 and 73 in the opening two rounds.
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