“It all started here” — Brian Campbell reflects on 'surreal' full circle moment after John Deere Classic win

Brian Campbell is the 2025 John Deere Classic champion. He defeated Emiliano Grillo in a playoff by posting a par on the lone extra hole to earn his second career title.

Nearly ten years ago, Campbell played his first event on the PGA Tour at the John Deere Classic. As a promising member of the University of Illinois golf team, he earned a sponsor's exemption into the event.

A decade later, Brian Campbell has earned his second title on the circuit. After completing the playoff, Amanda Balionis asked him how he feels about the 'full circle moment.'

The 32-year-old replied (via ASAP Sports):

"Right now it's surreal. I don't know what's going on. But, yeah, it all started here as an amateur, my first invite here. I've loved it ever since.I have no words. I mean, to be let alone in a playoff and to finish it off this way, it's just been amazing."

Here's a look at Brian Campbell's winning putt and his reflection on the tournament (via X @NUCLRGolf):

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Brian Campbell earned both of his PGA Tour titles this year. A few months ago, he defeated Aldrich Potgieter to win the 2025 Mexico Open at VidantaWorld.

This week's PGA Tour winner's next tournament will be the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open. The tournament will be played from July 10 to 13 at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.

What were Brian Campbell's winning stats?

Brian Campbell drove the golf ball an average of 281.50 yards from the tee at the 2025 John Deere Classic, with his longest being 304.00 yards. With 174 players bearing TOUR Cards, he ranks last place in the circuit in driving distance with a season average of 276.6 yards.

He tied for first place this week in total strokes gained with 11.377 strokes saved over four rounds and one playoff hole. The American also posted the least amount of bogeys for the tournament.

Here's a look at the 2-time PGA Tour winner's stats for the past week at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois (via PGA Tour):

Strokes Gained - Off the Tee

Stat - (- 3.980)
Rank - 63

Strokes Gained - Approach to Green

Stat - (+ 5.655)
Rank - 8

Strokes Gained - Around the Green

Stat - (+ 2.873)
Rank - 11

Strokes Gained - Putting

Stat - (+ 6.829)
Rank - 6

Strokes Gained - Total

Statl - (+ 11.377)
Rank - T1

Driving Accuracy

Stat - 75.44 percent (43/57)
Rank - 11

Greens in Regulation

Stat - 80.82 percent (59/73)
Rank - 5

Scrambling

Stat - 85.71 percent (12/14)
Rank - 2

Birdies

Stat - 22
Rank - T9

Pars

Stat - 48
Rank - T12

Bogeys

Stat - 2
Rank - 1

Double Bogeys

Stat - 1
Rabk - T35

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in New York, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua