At the conclusion of two days and 36 holes of regulation play and international competition, two teams shared the lead at the 20th annual John Deere World Championship held at Reynolds Plantation, Lake Oconee, Ga., Nov. 9-12.
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The teams from Utica Farm Equipment of Port Perry, Ontario, and AA Equipment of Montclair, Calif., both finished with scores of 108, with several teams two strokes back. But it was the Utica team who ultimately earned the title, edging out AA Equipment in a closest-to-the-pin par-three shootout from 90 yards away.
“What a great conclusion to this year’s tournament,” says Cory Niehaus, tournament director. “This event marks two decades of international golf expertise and team collaboration, where John Deere distributors have the opportunity to form closer relationships with their customers. And the Ritz-Carlton at Reynolds Plantation was a perfect place to host the 20th anniversary event.”
Each foursome competing in the tournament represented members of a typical golf course management team – superintendent, owner, manager, etc. – brought together to demonstrate a different set of skills on the golf course. A total of 44 teams from eight different countries vied for this year’s title, narrowed from a field of more than 1,000 teams that competed at the local and regional levels to qualify for the Championship.
All Championship qualifiers were treated to a four-day celebration at Reynolds Plantation. In addition to the two days of golf, guests were treated to evening events at the exclusive on-site Ritz-Carlton Lodge, poolside cocktail receptions, and socials hosted by John Deere One Source partners Advanced Microbial Solutions, Carroll Childers Company, Howard Johnson’s, Lucks Sales Group, Professional Turf Products, Signature Control Systems and Progressive Turf.
On the final evening, John Smoltz, a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves and Georgia philanthropist, gave the keynote address. Additionally, John Deere made donations to several superintendent organizations, including GCSAA and CGSA.
“This year’s John Deere World Championship was the perfect opportunity to enjoy the relaxed social atmosphere of a first-class facility, exchange ideas about the industry and, most of all, play some serious golf.” Niehaus says.