Tag: complete

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.

John Deere Classic: Davis Thompson time to complete unfinished business john,deere,classic,davis,thompson,time,to,complete,unfinished,business,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour

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It seems Davis Thompson has some unfinished business to complete as he heads into the final day of the John Deere Classic.

He is the 54-hole leader at TPC Deere Run after he carded a bogey-free 9-under 62 to sit at 21-under total. Thompson built off his impressive 63-67 start with a phenomenal performance.

After settling for T2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and T9 at the U.S. Open, Thompson is in contention for the third straight tournament.

“Last week, I was four back going into Sunday. I didn’t know what it would take to win that golf tournament,” Thompson said after his round on Saturday.

“I played really solid Sunday. Just came up one shot short. I feel like I’ve been playing well. Just tried to keep it going. Yeah, hopefully I got one more good one in me tomorrow.”

The former Georgia Bulldog may have recorded a bogey-free score, but he had to work for it. Even when he struggled, the Peach State native still made birdies.

He was 4-under after six holes and added a final birdie at 8 to make the turn in 30.

“Was in a little trouble on 5, but, yeah, to make that bunker shot and keep it going, that was great,” he said. “On 6, I hit a tree. It kicked back out on the fairway and made birdie.”

“It could have gone the other way. I guess it was just my day today. Hit a lot of good shots on the back nine and finished the round off well. Yeah, it was good.”

Thompson added four more birdies on the back nine to come home in 32 strokes and keep a clean scorecard. On the par-5 17th, he had to work for it after he went left off the tee. Miraculously, Thompson made a birdie to keep his momentum.

Through three rounds of play, he leads the field with 22 birdies and in strokes gained total (+14.733), as he is almost picking up 15 shots on the field. On Saturday alone, Thompson led the field in Strokes gained around the green (+2.780) and strokes gained total (+6.740).

His disposition did not change throughout the day. Thompson stayed calm and played his game.

The field has made 1,681 birdies through 54 holes. It is a birdie marathon at TPC Deere Run. There are 10 players within six shots of Thompson.

“Everybody is hungry. That’s what makes it difficult,” Thompson said. “There are a lot of losers every week. You can have great weeks and finish top 10. Your goal is to win the golf tournament. It’s frustrating at times, but this is what you work for, to put yourself in these positions.”

With bad weather coming into town, the PGA Tour opted to play off split tees to get in the tournament and avoid any delays. He, Eric Cole, and Aaron Rai are the final group as they tee off Sunday at 12:37 p.m. ET.

Eighteen holes stand in the way of Thompson and his first PGA Tour victory and become the latest player to earn their first win at the John Deere Classic.

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.