The 63s came early at TPC Deere Run. Lucas Glover posted one Thursday morning. So did Zac Blair. That was enough for a share of the John Deere Classic lead at 8 under.
Neither man arrived here in great shape. Glover’s exemption runs out at the end of the season, the one he earned by winning back-to-back in 2023, and he is down at 119th in the FedEx Cup. Blair? 160th. He has been grabbing starts anywhere, some of them on the Korn Ferry Tour.
“Playing golf professionally is pretty stressful, especially for me,” Blair said. “I’ve kind of always been right in that 125 to 150 spot my whole career. So every start is important. Just trying to do a good job of playing well, whichever kind of tour I’m playing on. It’s still golf at the end of the day, which is fun.”
Glover had shoulder surgery in the offseason. Torn labrum, left side. A 63 was a nice reminder the golf is still in there.
“Even struggling like I have this year, you pull down the driveway somewhere you’ve had success, it gives you a good feeling. Yeah, always liked it here,” he said.
Then there is Zach Johnson.
The man skipped three majors for this. No U.S. Senior Open at Scioto. No Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, and he is exempt there for another decade. No Senior Open at Gleneagles either.
Four straight weeks of golf was too much for the 50-year-old, who plays Firestone next week, and if something had to give, it was never going to be the John Deere. It’s Iowa boy. He won here in 2012. This one matters to him.
His Thursday finish was something. A putter from off the green on the par-5 17th that rolled 45 feet into the cup for eagle, then an approach to 12 feet on the last. Birdie. 64. One back.
“I just love being here, and I’m comfortable, obviously,” Johnson said. “My scorecard … I know that’s an ingredient this week, but it’s not everything. I can’t stress it enough. I’m just appreciative of having a partnership with John Deere and feeling like a long, long-distance son to this area. A lot of affinity, a lot of affection.”
Stephan Jaeger and Lee Hodges matched Johnson’s 64. Jaeger has his own math to worry about, 60th in the FedEx Cup with the top 70 making the postseason in six weeks.
Jordan Spieth’s day went sideways in the middle. A double bogey at the 18th, which fell mid-round for him, then a bogey at the end for 69. He has only played the Deere twice since he won it in 2015.
Low scores everywhere, as usual at this place. Twenty players at 66 or better, including NCAA champion Preston Stout, the new world No. 1 amateur now that Jackson Koivun has turned pro. Koivun’s first day as a professional? A 73. He might miss the cut.
Storms are coming. The forecast for the next few days at Deere Run is hot weather and thunder.
