American youngster Jordan Spieth put together some impressive preparation ahead of The Open as he defeated Tom Gillis in a playoff to claim the John Deere Classic this evening.
Much had been made of Spieth's decision to play in the Classic instead of heading elsewhere to prepare for St Andrews, but he responded to his critics by becoming the first player to win four times before The Open since Tiger Woods in 2000.
Spieth managed to see out Gillis on the second hole of their playoff encounter, as the 46-year-old sent one long into the rough before finding the water to all but hand his 21-year-old opponent victory.
The win sees Spieth improve his career playoff stats to 3-2 in his favour.
