In brief: Jordan Spieth skips Scotland for familiarity of John Deere Classic

Golf: Most golfers believe the path to the British Open title starts a week early in Scotland.

Jordan Spieth is content to stay at home and continue his Grand Slam push at the tournament that launched his PGA Tour career.

Rather than join the majority of the world’s top golfers and prep for St. Andrews by playing the links course in Gullane, Scotland, Spieth will spend the weekend at the often-overlooked John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois.

It’s not just that Spieth wants to remain loyal to the tournament where he won for the first time in 2013 at age 19.

He’s also just very comfortable playing the TPC Deere Run, one of the easiest courses on the tour.

“If I thought I wasn’t going to play well next week because I played here, it would be a different story. I probably wouldn’t be here. This is good preparation for me to get good feels, to get in contention and to find out what’s on and what’s off,” said Spieth, one of just six golfers to win the U.S. Open and the Masters in the same season.

“I’m here because I believe I can win this week. I believe it’s advantageous for me to try and win this week.”

Spieth’s rapid rise to No. 2 in the world – with injured Rory McIlroy’s top spot within reach as soon as next weekend – has taken many by surprise.

Those who watched Spieth’s breakthrough on this Quad Cities course two years ago saw his potential first-hand.

One year after playing the JDC at just 18 on a sponsor’s exemption, Spieth forced his way into a three-way playoff by holing out from the 18th-hole bunker.

Spieth then outlasted David Hearn and local favorite Zach Johnson to become the first teenager to win on the tour in 84 years.

Spieth also played the Quad Cities and the Open Championship in back-to-back weeks in 2014, finishing tied for 36th at Royal Liverpool.

Spieth said the only issue he has with skipping Scotland is the 6-hour time difference he’ll have to make up following Sunday’s final round.

But it might even be easier for Spieth to get into a rhythm at Deere Run – which yielded more eagles and birdies than any other PGA course in 2013-14.

“It doesn’t matter where it is. When I get over there, whether I play well or I don’t play well, it has nothing to do with what I did the week before. I will certainly have enough energy. I will certainly have enough rest, and I will be as prepared as I can be,” Spieth said.

• John Deere will remain sponsor: John Deere will continue to serve as the title sponsor of the PGA Tour event in Illinois through 2023.

The Moline, Illinois-based company says it has reached a seven-year extension with the PGA Tour to host the John Deere Classic at the TPC Deere Run just east of its headquarters.

The tournament has been held in the Quad Cities area on the Illinois-Iowa line since 1971, and John Deere took over as the title sponsor in 1998.

• Trump’s L.A. course loses Grand Slam of Golf: The PGA of America is moving its Grand Slam of Golf from Donald Trump’s golf course in Los Angeles, the first significant fallout for golf from the Republican presidential candidate’s comments on illegal Mexican immigrants.

Trump and the PGA of America met and both groups said they mutually agreed not to hold the Grand Slam of Golf at Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles on Oct. 19-21.

Trump said because of the backlash over his comments he does not want the PGA of America to deal with any consequences.

The PGA Grand Slam is a 36-hole exhibition for the four major champions of the year. Jordan Spieth already has qualified by winning the Masters and U.S. Open. Martin Kaymer will be the alternate as the defending champion.

The PGA said it was exploring options on where to move the Grand Slam, along with its annual PGA Junior League Golf Championship that also was to be held at Trump National Los Angeles. The Grand Slam was in Bermuda from 2007 until last year.

NBC, Univision and Macy’s are among several businesses that already have cut ties to Trump over his comments. The real estate mogul stood by his remarks, issuing a new statement Monday in which he said the Mexican government is “forcing their most unwanted people into the United States” and claimed that in many cases, those people are “criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc.”

Hayes, two others sign contracts with Bruins

NHL: Forward Jimmy Hayes’ new deal with the Boston Bruins will pay him $2.3 million a year for three years.

The Bruins also signed forward Brett Connolly to a one-year contract with a cap figure of $1,025,000. Forward Brandon DeFazio got a one-year, two-way contract worth a cap figure of $575,000 at the NHL level.

Hayes is a Boston native who played 72 games for the Florida Panthers last season and had 19 goals and 16 assists.

• Blackhawks re-sign van Riemsdyk: Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2017-18 season.

Van Riemsdyk had one assist in 18 regular-season games with the Blackhawks last season. He skated in four Stanley Cup Final games.

• Tarasenko joins Blues: The St. Louis Blues say they have signed star forward Vladimir Tarasenko to an eight-year, $60 million contract.

The Blues locked up the 23-year-old Tarasenko after a season in which he made his first career All-Star game and was 10th in the NHL with 73 points, including 37 goals, to go along with a plus-27 rating. He was the youngest Blues player with a 30-goal season since Brendan Shanahan in 1991-92.

• Coyotes ink Boedker: The Arizona Coyotes have signed left wing Mikkel Boedker to a one-year, $3.75 million deal.

The 25-year-old Dane had 14 goals and 14 assists in 45 games last season.

Vanuatu scores 46 goals in soccer match

Miscellany: Vanuatu beat the Federated States of Micronesia by the extraordinary score of 46-0 in their Olympic qualifying men’s soccer match at the Pacific Games in Papua, New Guinea.

Jean Kaltak scored 16 goals for Vanuatu which scored at the rate of a goal every two minutes.

• NASCAR eyes improvements: NASCAR will use track-specific rules packages at three more race tracks as the sanctioning body continues to try to improve the racing.

A unique rules package had already been announced for Saturday’s race at Kentucky. NASCAR executive Steve O’Donnell said a similar low downforce package will be used at Darlington in September.

Teams will use a higher drag rules package at Indianapolis Motor Speedway later this month and Michigan International Speedway in August.