The John Deere Classic golf tournament has become a signature event for the Quad Cities, putting us on the national stage for a week.

I have golf-fan friends from all over the country and Canada who text me all week asking me "did you see that shot?" or "have you met any of the golfers?"

While I consider golf a game best played rather than watched on TV, the JDC fills me, and many of us with a huge swell of civic pride, and for that alone it is an unmatched success.

With practice rounds beginning today for what has become one of the PGA Tour's favorite tournaments, here are 10 things to know from Matt Coss at the Quad City Times.

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