JOHN DEERE CLASSIC NOTEBOOK: Remembering the 'good' old days

SILVIS — Jason Day had a good laugh on Wednesday remembering his initial John Deere Classic appearance in 2006.

It also opened the door – or hole in the wall – for a great story with PGA Tour communications director Doug Milne, who is part of the team taking care of the media this week.

As it turned out, both of them stayed at the same hotel that year and they both had some fantastic tales of the Super 8 Motel in Motel.

"I think back then your AC unit fell out of the wall, so he could crawl from his room to the outside, which was even funnier," recalled Day with a laugh.

"I had the dog come into my room on my bed," recalled Milne of the pet that worked its way into his room through said hole in the wall. "I literally woke up with a dog on my bed."

The glamorous life of the traveling circus that is the PGA Tour created many memories back then.

"And then my caddie at the time, Colin, you walk into his room and it had a heart-shaped bathtub right next to the bed," said Day, not able to keep a straight face. "It was like high-rent stuff back then."

The two got a great laugh out of recalling those days.

"I just want to go on record and say I have arrived," said Milne a veteran of the Tour staff. "Super 8 with Jason Day in the same sentence."

Got game? Former University of Iowa basketball All-American and Sacramento Kings standout player Keegan Murray drew a nice crowd during Wednesday's pro-am.

He played nine holes each with 2012 JDC champ Zach Johnson and Tour veteran Stewart Cink. And, apparently played pretty well.

"He's good. I forgot to mention that," said Johnson of the former Hawkeye, who apparently played in high school while growing up in Cedar Rapids, as did Johnson.

"If he pursued this game like he does basketball, he would be really, really, really low handicap because he has great hands," said Johnson.

At one point during the day, that group was tied for the team lead in the pro-am that stretched well into the evening at TPC Deere Run.

Champions house: The past two John Deere Classic champions have resided in a rental house in rural Geneseo a few miles from Deere Run.

J.T. Poston won the event in 2022 while sharing that place and last year, Sepp Straka emerged victorious from the frat house.

If you think there might be some magic in that place and somebody can make it three in a row, the don't look for a Straka repeat.

With his family in town this week – including his 6-month-old son, Leo, Straka gave up his room at the house.

This year, returnees Poston, Patton Kizzire and Denny McCarthy are joined by Greyson Sigg, Davis Thompson and Ben Kohles.

Last year, Chris Kirk was in the house and finished T21. He is not in this year's field.

Brendon Todd was among the original group in the place, but opted out last year when his family came to town and he finished second last year, failing to hold the third-round lead.

sports writer/golf editor