'Golf is pretty crazy sometimes': Pine Island's Larson qualifies for PGA Tour's John Deere Classic

Jul. 3—MILAN, Ill. — Anders Larson was in the first group of the tee here Monday morning, bright and early at 7:30 a.m.

Ten hours later — nearly six hours after he finished playing 18 holes at Pinnacle Country Club — the Pine Island native was in a state of shock, disbelief, pure joy, all at once.

He was on-fire from the get-go at the golf course approximately 60 miles east of Iowa City, Iowa.

Larson — who will be a sophomore on the men's golf team at Tennessee Tech University in the fall — made nine birdies in his 18-hole round in a PGA Tour Monday Qualifier at Pinnacle C.C. He finished the round at approximately 11:30 a.m., signing his scorecard that read 7-under-par 65.

Then the waiting began.

"Those were the longest six or six-and-a-half hours of my life," Larson said. "I was hitting balls, putting, sitting around, eating. But it was all worth the wait."

At approximately 5:15 p.m., Larson got the official word: He had finished in the top four of the Monday Qualifier — the first Monday Qualifier he's ever played in — to earn one of four spots into this week's PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic. The championship will be held at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.

The John Deere Classic will be broadcast from 3-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday on the Golf Channel. Coverage will be split on Saturday and Sunday, with the Golf Channel airing the event from noon-1:30 p.m., and CBS carrying the championship from 2-5 p.m. both days.

"They're coming in left and right," Larson said about calls and messages of congratulations on his cell phone. "I was fortunate to be in the first group off (the tee), with fresh greens and really good weather."

While the weather and course were pristine to start his round, when he made the turn to the back nine, Larson actually thought he would be out of the mix to make the John Deere Classic. He made three birdies on the front nine, but also bogeyed two holes, leaving him at 1-under par through nine.

Monday Qualifiers are just 18 holes — no do-overs, no time to think or regroup.

Larson's back nine started steadily, but after 13 holes he sat at 2-under. He knew he had to make a run if he wanted to become the first golfer from Pine Island, Minn., to play in a PGA Tour event.

"I didn't get off to too hot of a start," said, who helped the Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa boys golf team win the Class AA state championship in 2022, when he placed third in the state. "I actually let some shots slip on the front nine and I thought I was out of it. Then I went to the back nine and, in some sense, played without a lot of pressure after making the turn at 1-under."

Larson will be in the field as an amateur, which means he will not be able to accept any prize money if he makes the cut, so as not to forfeit his college amateur status. The total purse earmarked for the pros this week at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.: $7.4 million.

Being an amateur paid off for Larson down the stretch. His putter heated up and he birdied his final five holes to finish the back nine at 6-under-par 30. He had seven total birdies and nine pars in his round of 65.

"Most of the guys out here are pros, trying to put money in the bank, it's what they do for a living," Larson said. "It's a different type of pressure for these guys. As an amateur, going out with no expectations, that freed me up. The vibe here is totally different from a college tournament. But there are a lot of good guys out here and it was very fun to play with the folks I did today."

Ninety-seven golfers were listed as registering for the Monday Qualifier. Six didn't start and five others withdrew. That left 86 golfers playing for four spots in the John Deere Classic.

Reid Martin, a long-time caddie on the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and LPGA Tour, won the Monday Qualifier with a 10-under-par 62. Larson tied with two others — Yuto Katsuragawa, who qualified for last month's U.S. Open; and Kaito Onishi, who graduated from Southern Cal two years ago and has played in two previous PGA Tour events.

Just minutes after Larson found out he'd earned a spot in the John Deere, he was pulled away for an interview with PGATour.com. He shook his head and smiled when thinking about the players he'll tee it up against in less than 72 hours.

"Golf is pretty crazy sometimes," he told the Post Bulletin Monday evening. "A 19-year-old from Pine Island, Minnesota, is going to be playing in a PGA Tour event."