SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Lucas Glover took an early eagle and made a late birdie. He shot a 2-under 69 in just two subpar holes on Saturday, good enough to share the lead with Lee Hodges in the John Deere Classic, which has a lot of potential.
Hodges had four birdies on six holes on the back nine at TPC Deer Run for a 67 and advanced to the final round, tied with Glover at 16-under 197.
Nine players are within four strokes of the lead, a group that ranges from 50-year-old Zach Johnson to NCAA champion Preston Stout of Oklahoma State.
Glover’s three-year waiver for his two PGA Tour wins expired in 2023, and he began the season while recovering from labrum surgery.
“You pretty much know you’re not going to win unless you move down the rankings,” Glover said. “Everyone has to be aggressive, so we have to hit a little bit better tomorrow to reach our ultimate goal.”
Hodges came into his own on the back nine, leaving six straight holes with birdie opportunities at or near 15 feet. He transferred four of them to Grover. But there is little margin for error.
Zach Blair (67), Ben Coles (66) and Jackson Suber (66) followed with a one-shot difference. Another shot down was Doug Jim (67). Still three shots behind, Johnson, who has a very strong resume in the John Deere Classic (which the Iowa native considers his home tournament), missed this week’s U.S. Senior Open in Scioto.
Johnson sank a 35-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 66. Johnson will have the chance to join a small group of players who have won both the PGA Tour Champions and the PGA Tour in the same calendar year. Phil Mickelson was the newest player in 2021.
Playing on a sponsor exemption, Stout shot a 66 and was in a group four strokes behind Max Homa and Ryo Hisatsune.
Not to be overlooked was Rickie Fowler, who had to go up and down from par on Friday’s final hole to improve his numbers. Fowler, who started the third round 11 shots behind the lead, bogeyed the final hole but still shot a 63 to come within five shots. Also five shots behind was 19-year-old Blaze Brown, who has already had two chances to win on the PGA Tour this year.
Hodges won his only tour title in Minnesota in 2023. He has conditional status this year because he finished outside the top 100 at the FedEx Cup, but his status could change if he performs well in one more round. Hodges, like the others, had the same outlook.
He had built a big lead in Minnesota, but found himself trying to hang on. Sunday’s TPC Dear Run will be a completely different number.
“Tomorrow will be a little more fun,” Hodges said. “I’m just going to go on offense and beat people. Tomorrow I’m just going to keep my foot on the pedal and shoot lower than everyone.”
Coles has already won on the Korn Ferry Tour this year and will be seeking his first win on the PGA Tour. Seven of the top 11 players, including Blair, have yet to win on the PGA Tour. The Utah native briefly held a two-shot lead before hitting a hazard on the 11th hole and suffering a double bogey.
Glover missed the green on the 9th hole and suffered his first bogey of the tournament. The third round was interrupted for about an hour due to a late storm. Glover returned and made a 6-foot birdie putt on the 17th, finishing with a par.
