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Thursday’s July 4th round provided fireworks at the John Deere Classic.
There were 26 scores of 65 or lower, including four 63s, a 62, 61 and Hayden Springer’s historic 59.
By the end of Day 1, his four-shot lead went down to two after Sami Valimaki shot a 10-under 61.
TPC Deere Run saw 748 birdies and 26 eagles during Thursday’s round, which is quite a lot considering the birdie totals in the last six tournaments.
Total Birdies in the last 6 PGA Tour events
— Charles Schwab Challenge: 1,116 total; 323 in Rd. 1
— RBC Canadian Open: 1,473 total; 487 in Rd. 1
— The Memorial: 750 total; 230 in Rd. 1
— U.S. Open: 1,007 total; 302 in Rd. 1
— Travelers Championship: 1,248 total; 265 in Rd. 1
— Rocket Mortgage Classic: 1,803 total; 587 in Rd. 1
While there were only three full-field events, the number of birdies scored on Thursday at TPC Deere Run is more noticeable. It is the most scored this season through the 30 first rounds played.
The last time the Tour saw this amount of birdies or close to it in the first round this year was at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. There were 683 birdies in the first round and 1,980 total.
Back at the beginning of the season, the Cognizant Classic saw 1,613 total and 572 birdies on Thursday. Last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic was also up there with 587 after one day of play.
The John Deere Classic could have the most birdies scored in a tournament this season, especially if the conditions stay like they are.
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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.