SILVIS, Ill. — Zach Johnson will skip three majors to compete in the John Deere Classic, but it feels like a major for the Iowa native. That decision paid off Thursday, as he shot a 7-under 64 with an eagle-birdie finish and was one stroke away from the lead.
Lucas Glover and Zach Blair played in the morning and each shot a 63, a good start for both players with two months left on the PGA Tour. Both are outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup.
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Johnson, 50, who already has two wins in his first year on the PGA Tour Champions, wasn’t thinking about anything other than the John Deere Classic, even with the U.S. Senior Open in Ohio at Scioto this week.
He hit a 45-foot eagle with his putter from off the green on the par-5 17th hole, then hit a shot to 12 feet for a closing birdie to close out the round.
“I love being here and obviously I’m comfortable,” said Johnson, who won the 2012 John Deere Classic. “Scorecard…I know that’s an element of this week, but it’s not everything. I can’t stress this enough. I’m just grateful to be able to partner with John Deere and feel like a distant son to this region.”
“A lot of closeness, a lot of love.”
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In addition to missing this week’s U.S. Senior Open, Johnson will also not play in the British Open at Royal Birkdale and is exempt for another 10 years. He will also miss the Senior British Open at Gleneagles, where he played in the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Instead, Johnson will play his senior major at Firestone next week. The reason I missed the two tournaments in England was because I didn’t think I would be able to play four weeks in a row.
The immediate goal is to play four rounds at TPC Deer Run, but the heat is expected to bring thunderstorms over the next few days.
Glover, who will join the PGA Tour board next year, is 119th in the FedEx Cup. His exemption from winning consecutive weeks, including a FedEx Cup playoff event, in 2023 ends at the end of this year. Blair is ranked 160th and plays as many Korn Ferry Tour events as possible.
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“Playing golf professionally is pretty stressful, especially for me,” Blair said. “Throughout my career, I’ve always been right about 125-150, so every start is important. No matter what tour I’m playing on, I’m just trying to do a good job of playing well. At the end of the day, I’m still playing golf. That’s what makes it fun.”
Glover started the year recovering from surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder, but being able to put together rounds like his 63 is encouraging knowing he still has some good golf left in him. And it helps to be in a property that brings back good memories.
“Even if you’re struggling like I was this year, it’s a good feeling when you pull off the driveway in a place where you’ve had success. Yeah, I’ve always loved it here,” Glover said.
Stephen Yeager and Lee Hodges joined Johnson at age 64. Jaeger is ranked 60th in the FedEx Cup and hopes to secure a spot in the top 70 within six weeks to qualify for the postseason. This week, the BMW International Open in Munich will be held at his home course, Eichenried.
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Jordan Spieth, playing at Deere for only the second time since winning in 2015, made a double bogey on the 18th hole midway through his round and finished with a bogey of 69.
The scores were as good as usual, with 20 players scoring 66 points or less. That includes NCAA champion Preston Stout, who took over as the No. 1 amateur in the world when Jackson Koibun turned pro.
Koibun made his professional debut, but struggled. He ended up scoring a 73 and was in danger of missing the cut.
