Tag: advantage

John Deere Classic: Jason Day, 5 golfers complete advantage Moving Day john,deere,classic,jason,day,golfers,complete,advantage,moving,day,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour

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Saturday at the John Deere Classic saw so many birdies at TPC Deere Run. The 54-hole leader, Davis Thompson, made nine en route to his 9-under 62. He leads the field by two shots at 21-under.

The former Georgia Bulldog was not the only PGA Tour player to take advantage of Moving Day.

Thirty-four players shot 68 or better, which helped many of them skyrocket up the leaderboard. However, who took the Moving Day the most seriously?

These five players kept themselves in contention or helped themselves get into contention after a solid third round.

5. Jason Day

The Aussie who started his career at the John Deere Classic, Jason Day, pushed himself up the leaderboard by 17 spots.

He carded a 5-under 66 on Saturday to sit at 11-under. Day is 10 shots behind Thompson, but it is all about position for him. If he can keep it up, he will only improve his FedEx Cup playoff standing.

4. Seamus Power

Seamus Power moved up 11 spots after his third-round 5-under 66, which got him to 13-under. He sits tied for 21st and is eight spots back. However, in the FedEx Cup standings, Power ranks in the 60s, so a good finish on Sunday could help him keep his season going.

3. Michael Thorbjornsen

The PGA Tour rookie, Michael Thorbjornsen, missed the cut last week in Detroit but is tied for sixth at the John Deere Classic.

He carded a 5-under 66 to move up four spots as he sits at 16-under. Five shots are entirely doable, but he will have to stay aggressive.

2. Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth shocked everyone Saturday morning as he came out red-hot on Moving Day. He jumped up 35 spots to sit tied for 12th and at 14-under. Spieth signed for an 8-under 63, which marked his lowest score of the year.

As a two-time John Deere Classic winner, he knows what it will take on Sunday. At seven shots off the lead, he may be out of reach to earn his third title, but a top 10 would be huge for his confidence heading into the last stretch of the season.

1. Eric Cole

Eric Cole recorded a 7-under 64 on Saturday to move up two spots. He and Aaron Rai sit at 19-under total and two shots behind Thompson. Cole took full advantage of Moving Day by avoiding too many costly mistakes.

He made two birdies on the front nine but got hot on the back. Cole birdied 10 and 11 before adding his fifth at the par-4 14th. His lone mistake came at 15 when he made a bogey, but Cole put himself back into contention with a birdie-eagle-par finish.

Cole’s eagle on the 17th was massive for him. It allowed him to close out the day with a bang and got him into the final group.

These guys needed strong performances on Moving Day, and they delivered.

The PGA Tour announced that the field will play off split tees for Sunday’s round since there is a chance of scattered thunderstorms throughout the day.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Jon Rahm’s U.S. Open fill-in taking full advantage of opportunity jon,rahm,s,u,s,open,fill,in,taking,full,advantage,of,opportunity,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

Jon Rahms US Open fill in taking full advantage of opportunity
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When Jon Rahm withdrew and closed the door on his chances of winning another U.S. Open on Tuesday, another door opened for Jackson Suber.

Suber, who attended Ole Miss and has missed four straight cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour, took Rahm’s spot in the field as the first alternate at Pinehurst No. 2. He has since taken full advantage of the opportunity.

The former Ole Miss Rebel shot an impressive 1-under 71 in his major championship debut, all while playing alongside Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama in one of the featured groups. It’s an impressive accomplishment for anyone, let alone someone who has played in only two events on the PGA Tour.

Yet, the most remarkable aspect of Suber’s performance was not the round itself—instead, it was the rollercoaster he had to take just to become an alternate in this year’s field.

Suber posted 7-under par at the 36-hole final qualifier in Rockville, Maryland. No doubt a solid score, but it was not good enough. He missed a spot in the U.S. Open by a stroke and instead had to go to a 3-for-2 playoff to determine two alternate spots.

“In that qualifier, I had a six-footer on the last hole, and ended up missing that to get to a playoff [for a final spot],” Suber explained.

Jackson Suber hits from a bunker during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open.
Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images

“I went into the playoff and was pretty bummed but ended up on the third hole making a 50-foot putt for birdie, while my opponent missed a five-footer. It was a very roller coaster week, just like this has been. I heard that I had a chance to get in, almost be the last man in the field, and then ended up being the first alternate with how things shook down at the Memorial. It’s just been a roller coaster.”

He then arrived in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on Sunday evening, hoping somebody would pull out to give him a chance. If nobody did, he had a flight booked to Wichita, Kansas on Tuesday evening for this week’s tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour.

But in a weird twist of fate, one of the biggest stars in professional golf turned Suber’s hopes into a reality.

“I was on the 8th hole, and I got a tip from someone. They said Rahm was pulling out. I wasn’t sure yet, but I was freaking out,” Suber said.

“No. 8 and 9 didn’t get much done in my practice round. When we were on the 9th, we started getting announcements, and my phone started blowing up; people were asking me if I was getting in, and then I called Reese from the USGA pretty quickly and tried to figure out what was going on and if I was going to be playing.

“That was just a really cool moment, especially to figure out I’m getting in the tournament out on the golf course and then be able to call my family and people around me who help me so much. It was a really special moment.”

Since Rahm withdrew after the USGA released the pairings for this year’s tournament, Suber slid in alongside Spieth and Matsuyama.

Best of all, Suber beat them both on Thursday, finishing in red figures while the two major champions failed to break par.

“I talked to Hideki and his caddie a little bit and talked to Jordan and [his caddy] Michael [Greller], as well, and my caddie talked to them, too,” Suber said about playing with Spieth and Matsuyama.

“There wasn’t a ton of chatter, but there were a couple of conversations here and there, and it was good to talk to them. They’re good people.”

Suber managed to score in red figures, but he still had an up-and-down day on Thursday—much like the rollercoaster ride he has experienced as of late.

Over his first five holes, Suber made par, bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie; a stressful yet entertaining way to begin your U.S. Open and sit at even par through five.

He then made a birdie at the par-3 9th, thanks to a tremendous tee shot that landed four feet from the stick. Another birdie at the short par-4 13th followed.

Then, Suber dropped a pair of shots at the 14th and 15th holes. But he bounced back with a birdie at the 523-yard par-4 16th. Like his opening few holes, and his last couple of weeks for that matter, he enjoyed quite the rollercoaster on the back nine, too.

“I always believed I could do this. You never know if you’re actually going to do it, but I feel like I always knew that this was in me,” Suber said.

“I didn’t know if it was going to happen because nothing in life is for sure, but I was going to give it my best chance. I worked hard to be here and feel like I just need to keep working hard and stay humble.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.