John Deere Classic 2015: Jordan Spieth headlines tee times, pairings for Thursday's round

The John Deere Classic is a fine event that gets good support and is important to the Quad Cities region in Illinois and Iowa. But it may have the worst spot on the PGA Tour schedule, the week preceding the season's third major over on another continent. The field is typically thin and the purse is the smallest of the season (not including the lesser fall series).

But this year, they have the headliner and the golden child of golf. Jordan Spieth will tee it up at the John Deere for the third straight season, staying committed to the event where he got his first win. This time, however, he'll roll into TPC Deere Run holding the first two legs of a potentially historic grand slam. He's obviously the marquee name this week while many of the other top stars play the Scottish Open or take the week off before St. Andrews.

There have been critics of Spieth's decision to play the Deere again this year. He's got this historic chance at the slam, but playing back in the USA and flying to a venue Monday morning that he's not familiar with doesn't seem like the best way to prep. But reports are that he notified tournament officials within a half-hour of winning the U.S. Open that he would still be at the John Deere. He maintained it was the one event that gave him a chance at winning the majors he now holds. He's never had second thoughts or expressed any regret, so he'll play this week as a heavy 3/1 favorite and then jet across the pond to learn St. Andrews and try to make it three in a row.

Spieth will start his week alongside Brian Harman, the defending champ here, and Danny Lee, last week's winner at the Greenbrier. They're surrounded by some of the other top names and recent Tour winners, but Spieth is the show. He tees off at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday.

On the opposite side of the draw is Steve Stricker, a local favorite and three-time winner here. Even when he becomes fully retired, it seems Stricker will still be showing up here. He's a Wisconsin resident and an Illinois grad and has always lit this course up, even when he hasn't won. He plays with Robert Streb and Kevin Kisner at 8:50 a.m. ET on Thursday.

Golf Channel will not go live until 4 p.m. ET, so Spieth will be the focus of the first round broadcast. Here's the full tee sheet for Thursday's opener at TPC Deere Run:

Morning wave off No. 1:

Morning wave off No. 10:

Afternoon wave off No. 1:

Afternoon wave off No. 10: