Deere golf date change makes Jordan Spieth unlikely in 2016

Chances are, Jordan Spieth will not be defending his 2015 John Deere Classic title next year.

Tournament officials announced Thursday that the 2016 date has been moved to Aug. 11-14, a one-time shift brought on by the return of golf to the Olympics. Spieth is a likely Olympian, meaning he would be competing in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 11-14.

The John Deere Classic is one of several PGA TOUR events, including major championships, that have been rescheduled to accommodate the Olympics. The British Open and PGA Championship will be played within a three-week window, with a week off in between.

"The John Deere Classic will embrace our 2016 date with an eye toward delivering the kind of compelling and dramatic golf tournament that our local fans and TV golf viewers around the world have come to expect," John Deere Classic tournament director Clair Peterson said in a statement. "TPC Deere Run is a golf course with a set of great finishing holes that were designed by course architect D.A. Weibring specifically to produce the kind of exciting finishes we have had since the tournament moved here in 2000. We think next year will be just as enjoyable for our fans."

The 2015 Deere got a lot of national publicity this year when Spieth, with this year's Masters and U.S. Open titles under his belt, elected to come to the Quad Cities instead of heading to Scotland a week early to prepare for the British Open.

"While, selfishly, we would love to have Jordan back to defend his title here in the Quad Cities in 2016, I think I speak for our fans, sponsors and our 1,900 volunteers in saying that we can think of no better representative of our country in terms of championship performance and great sportsmanship than Jordan Spieth," Peterson said. "We have had the privilege of getting to know Jordan over the last four years, and next summer the rest of the world will have a chance to get to know him, too."