It’s time to think of breakthroughs as the John Deere Classic approaches.

The tournament, which for the seventh year is being held at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., has produced 17 first-time winners on the PGA TOUR, including five in the last seven years. It also might produce the first woman to make the cut in a TOUR event since 1945, if Michelle Wie, who is back for another go, can improve on her 70-71-141 performance of a year ago.

Wie, competing last year as an amateur but has since turned pro, missed the cut by two strokes on the par-71 layout, but she didn’t appear overwhelmed by the 7,193-yard shot-making examination that exudes serene beauty and requires a versatile set of skills. She got as low as 4 under before giving back crucial strokes. This will be her fifth TOUR start.

Forget cut lines, though. The magic number for the 156 players in the field is 268, 16 under par. That has been the winning aggregate score the last three years.

The TOUR Insider never scoffs at experience, but that hasn’t always been a factor in this event, either, given that eight men have won in their first try, including defending champion Sean O’Hair, ’03 champ Vijay Singh and ’01 winner David Gossett.

And 54-hole leaders don’t feel secure here any more than veterans do. O’Hair came from five back to win while Mark Hensby overcame a four-stroke deficit in ’04. Four of the six wins at TPC Deere Run have been come-from-behind jobs.

Last year: Rookie Sean O’Hair, making just his 18th career start, shot a closing a 6-under-par 65 to overcome Hank Kuehne and third-round leader J.L. Lewis, to win his first TOUR title. O’Hair finished with a 16-under 268, one better than Kuehne and Robert Damron, and qualified for the British Open. Lewis, the 1999 champion, had a two-shot lead on the field after 54 holes and led O’Hair by five before fading with a 72.

How he did it: Consistency and trouble management. O'Hair made only three bogeys all week and just one in his last 60 holes. That’s for starters. He had only five holes where he scored a five, all for pars. Though he putted poorly -- ranking 50th in the field overall, he was third in driving distance, and, more importantly, second in greens in regulation, hitting 82 percent of them.

Strange but true: Singh is the only winner in the tournament’s history to have at least 10 PGA TOUR titles at the time of his triumph. Singh has more wins than the most recent eight John Deere Classic winners combined.

True but not so strange: Only 15 players failed to shoot par or better in the final round last year at TPC Deere Run. Just five were submitted by the top 57 finishers.

If the course could talk: “Guys have to pony up some imagination on what once was a horse farm. Using smarts off the tee sets it all up. Remember, nothing runs like a Deere … or a ball down a fairway.”

Worth Knowing:

• While breakthrough winners thrive at the John Deere Classic, veterans are well represented this week. Among them: David Duval makes his second straight appearance after missing the cut last year; Steve Elkington is an entry for the first time since 1993 and makes his first appearance at TPC Deere Run; Chris DiMarco, still trying to shake off his rib injury from skiing prior to the Masters, makes just his fourth start at the Deere and second since 1995; Larry Mize is playing for the seventh time since he first visited in 1982.

• Fred Funk, who made his Champions Tour debut at last week’s U.S. Senior Open, plans to play in this week’s Ford Senior Players Championship before heading to the British Open at Hoylake. Funk said he has no problem hopping back and forth on tours, but does have a problem with his putting. He used both a conventional and claw grip -- in the same round -- at the Senior Open.

• Former PGA champion David Toms withdrew from the British Open because of back problems, an injury that forced him from the U.S. Open. His spot will be taken by fellow American Jeff Sluman, organizers said Friday. Toms had to withdraw from last year’s British Open after signing an incorrect scorecard following an incident in which he thought he might have hit a moving ball.

• Suddenly rejuvenated Vijay Singh is back to using a Cleveland 460 Comp driver, which he used last year. He said he’s used a different driver almost every week, but has found one he likes, which explains his better play of late.

• David Peoples is back again for his 21st appearance at the John Deere Classic, most in the field. He still seeks to add a second top-10 to his lone finish of that level back in his first start in 1983 -- yet another example of newcomer favorability at the event.

• After winning $11,000 at the Cialis Western Open, two-time TOUR winner Paul Stankowski needs $11,953 at the John Deere Classic to retain his Major Medical Extension for the rest of the 2006 season. Stankowski, battling left wrist problems the last two years, entered ’06 needing $180,390 in 14 events

• No woman had made a PGA TOUR cut since Babe Zaharias at the 1945 Tucson Open. In the last few years Annika Sorenstam and club pro Suzy Whaley have joined Wie as women who have competed in TOUR events.

TOUR Insider’s strength of field index: Able bodies and keen minds are needed on this challenging track, and there are plenty who fill the bill. 7.4.

TI’s power ranking for the John Deere Classic: 1. Stephen Leaney, 2. Steve Stricker, 3. Zach Johnson, 4. Bubba Watson, 5. Joe Ogilvie.

Parting shot: “Everyone wants to say nice things, which people have done, and everyone also wants to analyze everything, too. I think that goes with the territory of being in the position I've been in on the PGA TOUR.” -- No. 1 player in the world Tiger Woods on his return to golf.