Day one of the John Deere Classic is in the books! Cedar Rapids native, Zach Johnson, is tied for 32nd after shooting -2. He might have fared better had he not three putted once on the way in, but he was fighting the afternoon wind, like everyone else. I heard that afternoon scores averaged a shot higher than morning scores.
My office for the weekendPhoto: Doug Wagner
My office for the week/weekend is in the Welcome Tent at the entrance to TPC Deere Run. It's a, roughly, 30' x' 80 tent with glass doors at either end, and it's air conditioned...thank goodness! Every single person affiliated with this tournament has been so very, very kind! From the professional staff to the volunteers that make an event like this run smoothly, they've helped me take care of everything from power to parking to rides across the course...I'm really impressed!
Nothing Bundt CakePhoto: Doug Wagner
My neighbor on one side is a shop named "Nothing Bundt Cake," and they have free samples of their Bundt cupcakes. I am a Bundt cake maniac! I have only taste tested one variety, the Red Velvet, and it was incredible! Why did they stop making Bundt cake mixed for mass distribution?!?!
Cookies and DreamsPhoto: Doug Wagner
Across from me is a shop named "Cookies and Dreams." When I asked some ladies who had just come away from the booth, which was their favorite. The unanimous decision was the Peanut Butter Cookie. I went over and tried it, expecting to be underwhelmed.
Cookies and Dreams samplesPhoto: Doug Wagner
OH NO! This simple Peanut Butter Cookie was so good that I had goosebumps! Highly, highly recommended!
Military honorsPhoto: Doug Wagner
On the other side of me was a group from John Deere involved in celebrating the military. They have hats, lanyards, challenge coins and more for military veterans. This group is made up of both veterans and military supporters working at John Deere on the Quad Cities. The fact they were being recognized by John Deere was pleased each veteran who visited their booth.
Western Illinois boothPhoto: Doug Wagner
Also across from me is the Western Illinois University booth, and the featured the giant Jimmy John's chair. Watching people get into and out of this was hilarious, and made me want to go play bouncy house all over it...hee hee hee. Leathernecks were in the house!
Satoshi Kodaira eats lunchPhoto: Doug Wagner
If you're a PGA golfer and you need a quick lunch on a hot day, what do you do? You have your coach grab a sandwich from the players' locker room and take the bread off. That's exactly what Satoshi Kodaira did, right after he posed for a pic with a fan. No bread means light eating on a hot day, which was a smart move!
Big John Deere driverPhoto: Doug Wagner
Finally, I can tell you that as slippery as my driver is, there's no way I could miss with this one! There's a great staging of John Deere farm and construction equipment along the course, and there's even a smaller piece of equipment that enables you to get in and putt a giant golf ball using the bucket...that's something to do over the weekend!
Overall, a great day at TPC Deere Run! I'll be on the Morning Show Friday and back again for the weekend to broadcast reports on our Quad Cities iHeartRadio stations, so listen up! Better yet, come on over! They're selling tickets online and at the gate...but bring your credit/debit card, because it's a cashless venue. The prize for 1st place is over $1 million, so why wouldn't you want to watch someone win a million dollars?