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John Deere Classic: Davis Thompson’s sensational, historic 1st victory john,deere,classic,davis,thompson,s,sensational,historic,st,victory,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour

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In his 63rd start, Davis Thompson can officially call himself a PGA Tour winner.

He carded a final round 7-under 64 to post a 28-under total and win the John Deere Classic by four shots over Michael Thorbjornsen, amateur Luke Clanton and C.T. Pan, who tied for second place at 24-under.

Thompson became the 24th first-time tournament winner at this event. He did it in grand fashion by setting the John Deere Classic’s 72-hole scoring record. Michael Kim initially set it at 27-under in 2018.

He stayed stoic all week long, but Thompson let the emotions flow once he saw his wife.

“Just seeing my wife means a lot,” Thompson said to CBS Sports analyst Amanda Balionis after his win. “I love her so much and so thankful she was able to make it. I tried to stay present all day. When that putt finally went in, it was a big sigh of relief.”

Throughout his interview with Balionis, Thompson could not hold back the tears. He wiped them away multiple times.

All that hard work finally paid off for the 25-year-old.

“I’ve been working hard this year. It was okay for a while then I got going this last month and played well last week,” he said. “Tried to keep it rolling this week; was able to get the win.”

The former Georgia Bulldog set the tone from his opening tee shot. He went five-under through his first six holes and added his sixth birdie on the ninth to go out in 29 shots. Through nine holes, Thompson made 120 feet of putts, and by the end of the round, he recorded 139 feet of putts.

His first birdie was over 44 feet, and at the par-4 5th, he made a 29-footer. The flat stick was on fire for him, as Thompson could not miss.

The Sea Island resident made an 8-footer on 10 for his seventh birdie. His one hiccup came at the 12th when he bogeyed the hole. However, that slip-up would not stay with the youngster. Thompson returned to 7-under at 14 when he made his final birdie and came home with four straight pars.

Throughout four days of play, he gained +18.694 in strokes gained total. He picked up at least two strokes on the field in all five main categories. Thompson led the field with 30 birdies.

In short, the former Bulldog put on a clinic.

He replaced the 2023 John Deere Classic champion Sepp Straka’s place in the Champions House and became the third straight player to win the event while staying there.

J.T. Poston won while staying there in 2022, Straka won last year and Thompson has now been added to the lore.

“No, definitely not,” Thompson said about not letting the tradition go, “I think I have to pay for the whole house now, which is unfortunate, but I’ll gladly write the check for that.”

Thompson became the 12th Georgia golfer coached under head coach Chris Haack and the 17th in the program’s history to win on the PGA Tour. This victory also gets him into the Open Championship later this month and next year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National. It also vaulted him from No. 51 to No. 22 in the FedEx Cup standings.

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.

British Grand Prix: Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton hail ‘fairytale’ victory british,grand,prix,toto,wolff,and,lewis,hamilton,hail,fairytale,victory,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one

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It was a win almost 1,000 days in the making.

On a challenging Sunday at Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton captured victory for the first time since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finally reaching the top step of a Formula 1 podium for the first time since that epic campaign.

And the fact that it came on Hamilton’s final race at Silverstone for Mercedes was not lost on Team Principal Toto Wolff.

“Today’s win is like a fairytale,” emphasized Wolff in the team’s post-race report. “It is our last British Grand Prix together with Lewis and what a way to sign off. It is such a great feeling to be able to achieve victory in front of the British crowds with the most iconic, and most successful British driver in a Mercedes.”

Hamilton’s emotions matched the moment. The legendary British driver was choked up as he took the checkered flag, and that continued as he was handed a Union Jack at Becketts Corner during his cooldown lap. When he finally brought his W15 to a stop he shared a long, emotional embrace with his father before paying tribute to the thousands of fans cheering their hero.

Hamilton then shared his immediate thoughts with Jenson Button.

“Yeah, I can’t stop crying,” admitted the seven-time champion.

“I think, you know, since 2021, I’m just every day getting up, trying to fight, to train, to put my mind to the task and work as hard as I can with this amazing team and this is my last race here, the British Grand Prix, with this team so I wanted to win this so much for them, because I love them, I appreciate them so much, all the hard work they’ve been putting in over the years,” continued Hamilton.

“I’m forever grateful to everyone in this team, everyone at Mercedes, and all of our partners. And I just want to say thank you to all of you for being here with us today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And then otherwise to all our incredible fans,” added the Mercedes driver, “I could see you lap by lap as I was coming around, and there’s just no greater feeling as to finish at the front here.”

Hamilton’s tributes to the crowd as Silverstone continued into the FIA Press Conference.

“I mean, the car’s so loud, so hard to hear, but I could see it, and I really could feel [the crowd noise],” described Hamilton. “You know, when you go through Turn 7, it’s a long, long corner, and you see the guys on the left, or through the last couple of corners, you can also see this incredible crowd, or into Turn 15. It’s really, really an unbelievable feeling to be on that track. This is the best track for me, personally. I think this is the best track in the world. But it’s the fans also, the whole place, the wind direction that you have going into Stowe. That corner is incredible.”

In response to a question from the brilliant Luke Smith from The Athletic, Hamilton talked about the emotions he felt, particularly in that extended post-race embrace with his father, and whether this win felt any different than his previous 103 F1 victories.

“Yeah, it really does, because I think, you know, I’ve had my parents come to a race here and there,” began Hamilton.

“We’ve had, you know, my mom was there when we won a championship. My dad’s been there when we won a championship. It’s always been just at a different point of life. First World Championship, you know, was incredible, but it was really difficult to absorb it all at the age I was at. I think this weekend, I think just within life, you know, your parents are getting older, you know, we’re traveling so much.

“Time with family is a constant challenge. My niece and nephew are growing up and growing out their cuteness,” continued the driver. “But I’ve had them here this weekend, and I think they’ve all… We all try to be there for each other, even at a distance. But to have them there and… I mean, I know I’ve always had their support, but to be able to see them there and share this experience, they wanted to be at my last race, the last British Grand Prix with this team that have been so incredible to us. I mean, Mercedes obviously supported me since I was 13. So it’s definitely meant the most today to have them there and to be able to share it with them.”

While there was a downside for the team, as pole-sitter George Russell retired early on a day that could have seen him on the podium as well, Hamilton’s victory marked two wins in a row for Mercedes, extending their run of impressive form.

Hamilton addressed what this recent form means for the team going forward.

Yeah, I think hugely, hugely grateful to everyone in the team. I think this is just hats off to everyone. Niki [Lauda] would definitely take his hat off, but everyone that’s continued to work hard, everyone in the garage that’s continued to show up each weekend and not get downbeat by results,” said Hamilton. “I think George’s win last week was amazing, but it wasn’t on pure pace and I think this weekend was the first time we did it on pure pace. [With] qualifying on the front row. And then after that, even pulling in that first stint, both of us pulling away from everybody else. And then ultimately, I think with the conditions today, the drivers able to make a bit of a difference.”

Hamilton also admitted that the time between victories meant this win was even sweeter, along with the admission that for the first time in 104 victories, tears finally fell after a win.

“Absolutely. It feels different to previous races and particularly races where you’re having race after race after race or seasons where you’re having multiple wins,” said Hamilton. “I think with the kind of the adversity I would say that we’ve gone through as a team and that I personally felt, that I’ve experienced, those challenges, the constant challenge like we all have to get out of bed every day and give it our best shot. And, you know, there’s so many times where you feel like your best shot is just not good enough.

“And the disappointment sometimes that you can feel, you know, and we live in a time where mental health is such a serious issue. And I’m not going to lie, that I have experienced that. And there’s definitely been moments where you know, the thought that this was it, that that was never going to happen again,” continued Hamilton. “So to have this feeling come across the line, I think, honestly, I’ve never cried coming from a win. It just came out of me. And it’s a really, really great feeling. I’m very, very grateful for it.”

A fairytale Sunday, in what is shaping up to be a fairytale season for the Silver Arrows.

McLaren left wondering what might have been at the British Grand Prix mclaren,left,wondering,what,might,have,been,at,the,british,grand,prix,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one

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At first blush, Sunday’s British Grand Prix looks like a massive win for McLaren. Lando Norris captured his seventh Grand Prix podium of the season with a third-place finish. Oscar Piastri finished behind him in fourth place, giving the team a 27-point haul that topped all teams at Silverstone. That chunk of points saw McLaren not only gain on Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship but pull to within just seven points of Ferrari for P2 in the standings.

And yet, Sunday could have been so much more for McLaren.

A series of strategy decisions in changing conditions saw McLaren turn a potential one-two finish into the eventual P3 and P4 for Norris and Piastri, leaving the team to wonder just what could have been on Sunday at Silverstone.

In the early stages, it seemed as if McLaren had gotten it right. While Max Verstappen powered into P3 behind the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, Norris and Piastri waited to strike sitting in fourth and fifth, respectively. As the first batch of rain came through, that is when the papaya boys pounced, and within a few laps, they were running up in first and second, with Norris ahead of his teammate.

Eventually, the teams faced the critical decision regarding when to switch from slick tires to a set of intermediates, as conditions on the track began to worsen. Finally, McLaren brought Norris in, but given the pit lane layout at Silverstone — with each team having just the one pit stall — they faced a critical decision: Do they bring both drivers in and double-stack the cars, or do they leave one of them out for a lap on the slick tires in worsening conditions?

They brought Norris in and left Piastri out.

While that worked for Norris, and he came back out as the race leader with a three-second advantage over Hamilton, it cost Piastri dearly. He wound his way around Silverstone while struggling to find enough grip, and after he finally completed his pit stop he emerged with a set of intermediates on his MCL38, and back in sixth place behind Carlos Sainz Jr.

Up in the F1TV commentary box, Jolyon Palmer was rather dismayed at the decision to leave Piastri out for one more lap. “His race has been butchered by staying out another lap,” stated the former F1 driver, and there was evidence available to bolster his position. Mercedes faced the same decision as Hamilton and Russell but executed a solid double-stack stop and both drivers came out ahead of Piastri.

However, McLaren then caught a break, as Russell’s W15 suffered a suspected water system failure, and his retirement promoted Piastri up to P5. He then took fourth, overtaking Sainz for the position.

Then came the next critical decision. With the laps ticking down and the track drying out, teams faced the question of when to switch from the green-walled intermediate tires — which were starting to show significant signs of wear — to a set of slicks. With 15 laps to go Hamilton and Verstappen both came in for a fresh set of tires, while McLaren left Norris out for one more lap.

Similar to the decision with Piastri, Norris lost significant time on his next lap on the worn intermediates, and his situation was compounded further by a slower-than-usual pit stop, set in motion when Norris pulled slightly too far forward in his pit box. As he lumbered out of his stall on a set of softs and tried desperately to fire them up, all he could do was watch Hamilton rocket by him to take the race lead.

Shortly thereafter, Norris’ hopes of a victory turned into a fight to hold on for P2. Red Bull decided to bolt on a set of hard tires on Verstappen’s RB20, and that looked like the right decision as Verstappen slowly gained on both Hamilton and Norris, with both British drivers working around Silverstone on soft tires. Eventually, Verstappen caught Norris and took second away from him, shuffling Norris down to third where he eventually finished.

Dreams of a McLaren one-two finish had fallen away, with the Woking-based outfit forced to settle for a P3-P4 afternoon.

“And yeah, as a team, I don’t think we did quite the job we should have done or good enough, but still lovely to be on the podium here in Silverstone,” admitted Norris trackside to Jenson Button following the race.

The McLaren driver then shouldered the bulk of the blame.

“You know, at the same time I blame myself today for not making some of the right decisions. But, I hate it. I hate ending in this position and ever having excuses for not doing a good enough job,” said Norris, before turning a bit more optimistic. “But I’m so happy, I’m still gonna enjoy it. I think we still did so many things right. So many positives.”

Speaking with Sky Sports Italy, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella conceded that there were things they could have done differently, noting the decision not to double-stack with Piastri earlier in the race, as well as not putting a set of mediums on Norris’ MCL38 during the final pit stop.

Norris completed his trackside interview with Button on an even more optimistic note. I’m going to come back stronger next year,” said Norris, “and try again.”

Once more, as far as points go this was still a strong result for McLaren, as they cut into Red Bull’s lead atop the Constructors’ Championship standings, and pulled within single digits of Ferrari for P2.

But it could have been more for them.

So much more.

And there might be a few restless nights in Woking before the grid roars back to life in Hungary.

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari looking for answers to a ‘slow’ car at British Grand Prix charles,leclerc,and,ferrari,looking,for,answers,to,a,slow,car,at,british,grand,prix,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one

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Charles Leclerc struggled to find the right answers, but not many are on offer at the moment for Ferrari.

Speaking with the official Formula 1 channel following a surprising elimination in Q2, the Ferrari driver lamented a frustrating state of play for the team at the moment. Leclerc has endured a difficult stretch of performances in the weeks since his victory at the Monaco Grand Prix which saw the Monegasque driver finally break through with a win at home, despite Ferrari bringing a series of upgrades to the SF-24. He finished out of the points in the Canadian Grand Prix and after a fifth-place finish in Barcelona, Lecler brought home only two points from Austria, both of which came from a seventh-place finish in the F1 Sprint Race at Red Bull Ring.

That run may continue on Sunday, as Leclerc will start in P11 in what he calls a “slow” car.

We are just slow. We are just really slow at the moment and we have a lot of inconsistencies with the car,” said Leclerc to F1TV. “I don’t think it quite helps that we are trying to also… we are trying to just assess the situation we are in at the moment and try to understand which are the directions in which we need to push into.”

The driver noted that the team tried some different configurations in practice, to try and unlock the answer to the questions they faced with the SF-24. While Leclerc noted that the decision offered some potential solutions for Ferrari, it was not enough to unlock the time he needed to reach Q3.

“I felt like yesterday, by splitting the cars [with pre and post-Barcelona configurations], we understood a good amount to use for the future,” described Leclerc. “However, that means that maybe you don’t optimise your whole weekend as you are focused on just trying to learn, and when you are speaking about a tenth to go to Q3, it’s all about small details. So at the moment we are just struggling with the situation we are in, and I hope we can bounce back as soon as possible.”

Leclerc compared the strategy to a similar decision Ferrari made a year ago. Last season saw the Scuderia struggling during the summer, and trying different configurations at the Dutch Grand Prix helped the team improve down the stretch.

“I think last year we did that in Zandvoort, where it was really a turning point of the season and we did well,” said Leclerc. “We shouldn’t over-panic, but it is true that now this difficult time has been there for longer than last year, so we’ve really got to react now and I hope that from next race onwards we can re-optimise the weekend like we did at the beginning of the season.”

Things were a bit better for teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., who advanced to the third segment of qualifying and will start Sunday’s British Grand Prix up in seventh, but Ferrari seems on the back foot compared with some of their rivals at the moment.

Perhaps adding to the frustration is that this weekend may present a missed opportunity for the Scuderia. With Sergio Pérez starting at the back of the grid, and Max Verstappen set to start fourth, Ferrari could have taken a big step towards Red Bull at the front of the grid.

Instead, they are still looking for answers to what Leclerc calls a “slow” race car.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton lock out front row, Sergio Pérez falters at British GP george,russell,and,lewis,hamilton,lock,out,front,row,sergio,p,rez,falters,at,british,gp,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one

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Given where the Formula 1 grid is this week, the three cars at the front of the grid simply feel right.

The British trio of George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris will start up front in Sunday’s British Grand Prix, with Russell on pole position as Mercedes locked out the front row during Saturday’s qualifying session. Norris, looking to rebound after a bitter result last week at the Austrian Grand Prix, will start third alongside Max Verstappen, who qualified fourth.

According to F1TV, it marks the first time the top three drivers on the grid at the historic Silverstone circuit are British drivers.

But the story is Mercedes.

This Silver Arrows got off to a slow start this season, but a series of upgrades the team began rolling out at the Miami Grand Prix have certainly delivered the improved performance they were seeking. Mercedes has been the hottest team over the last three race weekends — having scored 100 points over that stretch — and since Miami only McLaren has scored more points, 144 to the 132 posted by Mercedes.

That hot streak looks to continue this weekend.

“Nice one team,” exclaimed Russell as he crossed the line having put his W15 on pole position, knowing he and Hamilton had locked out the front row. “Race to win tomorrow.”

Whether the Silver Arrows can deliver a win tomorrow remains to be seen, and the fight at the front looks fascinating between the McLarens, the Mercedes duo, and an ever-lurking Verstappen starting fourth.

But make no mistake, Mercedes are back, and if they keep their streak of results alive on tomorrow, it could set things up for a fascinating second half of the season.

Here are the full results, as well as more winners and losers from a thrilling qualifying session at the British Grand Prix

Winners: McLaren

In terms of the big picture, Saturday was another strong day for McLaren.

Norris is set to start the British Grand Prix on the third row, right behind pole-sitter Russell in P3. When the lights go out tomorrow he will have a friendly face right behind him, as teammate Oscar Piastri qualified fifth and will be in Norris’ rear-view mirror at the start tomorrow.

Those starting positions give McLaren a tremendous chance to bring home another big haul of points in the British Grand Prix.

When I spoke with Oscar Piastri following his podium finish in the Monaco Grand Prix, the second-year driver told me in no uncertain terms that the F1 Constructors’ Championship is far from over, and that McLaren is in the fight.

“The Constructors’ [Championship] I would say is still open. We’re still a third of the way through the year. So it’s definitely still all to play for,” said Piastri to me back at the end of May.

“I think in the position I’m in in the driver’s standings, [I’m] probably not gonna win the Championship unless I really take it up a notch again. But I think in the Constructors’, we’re not out of contention for winning that,” added Piastri.

“So, that’s definitely the aim of the team.”

Much has been said and written about how Norris would respond following the late-stage incident with Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix. While their wheel touch ended Norris’ chances at a win at Red Bull Ring, Piastri’s ability to finish on the podium — combined with results from the F1 Sprint Race the day before — saw McLaren pull a few points closer to Red Bull in that potential title fight.

And with both Norris and Piastri starting inside the top five — while Verstappen will be alone at the front of the grid when the lights go out Sunday — McLaren is primed to do that again tomorrow.

Loser: Sergio Pérez

With just over seven minutes to go in Q1, the red flag flew.

Sergio Pérez was in the gravel.

The Red Bull driver was the first victim of the tricky conditions, as teams and drivers alike performed the cost-benefit analysis of slick tires versus the intermediates. While the track was drying out and there was a dry racing line taking shape, Pérez was one of the first drivers to make the change to slicks.

As he was winding his way around Silverstone on that set of slicks, he ran wide at Copse and found the gravel.

Despite his protests and pleas for a push, the crane eventually came out, and the driver reluctantly climbed out of his RB20, as a chagrined Christian Horner looked on from the pit wall.

On F1TV Jolyon Palmer summed it up as “nightmare” stuff for Pérez and Red Bull. “Oh no for Sergio Pérez,” said Palmer. “That is nightmare stuff for team and driver … this is off the back of what Christian Horner was saying yesterday they need a second driver in the fight … this is tough times for Sergio Përez.”

Complicating matters for the team when it comes to the Constructors’ Championship is that Verstappen could only qualify fourth, and will start alongside Norris and behind the Mercedes duo. That could mean Red Bull sees their rivals inch even closer in the Constructors’ standings by the time the checkered flag flies on Sunday.

But that is a team issue, returning to Pérez, the early end to his day comes at a critical time for the driver.

As Palmer and Ben Edwards noted, the incident comes as Pérez is under renewed pressure regarding his seat with the team. Not only has his mid-season swoon come as teams such as McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes have pulled closer to Red Bull in the standings, but this week brought renewed speculation about a potential driver change at Red Bull, despite Pérez’s new contract.

To the point about the standings, as we outlined earlier in the week Pérez has secured just 15 points since the Miami Grand Prix, miles off the 101 points added by Max Verstappen during that stretch. Pérez is dead last among the eight drivers from the top-four teams in the standings during that period of the calendar:

Driver Points Since Miami Grand Prix

Driver Points since Miami
Driver Points since Miami
Max Verstappen 101
George Russell 74
Lando Norris 73
Oscar Piastri 71
Charles Leclerc 62
Lewis Hamilton 58
Carlos Sainz Jr. 52
Sergio Pérez 15

Pérez is set to start P19 in Sunday’s Grand Prix, thanks to a massive grid penalty handed down to Pierre Gasly for changing components.

But at this point, he might have bigger problems than a start at the back of the grid.

Winners: Williams

This was a week that Williams truly needed, and their best qualifying session of the 2024 campaign.

Alexander Albon advanced into Q3, posting the ninth-fastest time in the second segment of qualifying. He ended his third segment of qualifying in that position as well, and he will start inside the top ten on Sunday. Putting the team on track to bring home some much-needed points in Sunday’s main event.

“Yes very happy,” said Albon after qualifying.

As for Albon’s teammate Logan Sargeant, the lone American driver on the grid took to the track over the Fourth of July weekend sporting a Union Jack on his FW46 and facing continued speculation about his F1 future. But Sargeant advanced into Q2 for just the second time this season, and while he was eliminated in Q2 and is set to start P12, it was another positive sign for the young driver.

And perhaps of note, it marked the third time in the past five grands prix that he out-qualified Sergio Pérez.

It might not be enough to save his seat for next season, and interestingly enough Williams Team Principal James Vowles even opened the door to replacing Sargeant at some point this season earlier in the week. “We’re continually evaluating it,” said Vowles on Friday when asked about a potential mid-season change. “What we’ve said to Logan is it’s a meritocracy. You have to make sure you earn your place in the sport continuously. That’s been the same message that has been for 18 months really for him. And we are open-minded to things.”

Sargeant’s performance on Saturday might not save his seat for 2025, but it could keep him in the FW46 for a little while longer.

But for Williams, who are seeking their first points since Albon’s P9 at the Monaco Grand Prix, Saturday was a massive step in that direction.

Losers: Alpine

This was going to be a bad weekend at least for Pierre Gasly.

But things got worse for Alpine on Saturday.

Gasly’s British Grand Prix got off on the wrong foot as the team changed components on his A524. The team added the fifth Internal Combustion Engine, the fifth Turbo Charger, the fifth Motor Generator Unit – Heat, the fifth Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic, and the third Control Electronics.

As all five components were more than the allowed number per season under the Sporting Regulations, Gasly was hit with a ten-place grid drop, for a total penalty of 50 places on the grid.

As a result, he was locked into starting at the back of the grid on Sunday no matter what happened today.

That means if the team was to salvage something this weekend, their hopes likely rested with Esteban Ocon.

Who was eliminated in Q1.

Ocon perhaps fell victim to circumstances, as he noted after the checkered flag flew at the end of Q1 that his one push lap came just as the rain fell near the end of the segment, which threw the session into chaos. But he could not find the time he needed and is set to start at the back of the grid near his teammate.

Alpine has made substantial progress throughout this season, given where they began the 2024 F1 campaign. Recent results have pulled the team out of the basement, and into P8 in the Constructors’ Championship standings. They entered the British Grand Prix having scored points in four straight races, and five of the last six.

But given how their Sunday is shaping up, that streak is likely to end tomorrow.

Winner: Nico Hulkenberg

“[Nico] Hülkenberg is driving a blinder this weekend.”

That was the description from Jolyon Palmer from the F1TV commentary box, as the Haas driver stormed into Q3 and put his VF-24 onto the third row, as Hülkenberg qualified sixth for the British Grand Prix.

It is his best qualifying result of the 2024 season, as well as the best result for Haas this year.

Hülkenberg starting sixth gives the team a legitimate chance at carving into the advantage Visa Cash App RB F1 Team currently holds over them in the Constructors’ Championship standings. VCARB sits sixth in the Constructors’ standings entering the British Grand Prix, with 30 points on the season. Haas, meanwhile, is in seventh, 11 points adrift of VCARB in the Constructors’ table.

But, hypothetically, should Hülkenberg manage to finish where he starts tomorrow, a P6 would see Haas add eight points to their account, bringing their season total to 27. With both Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda starting outside the top ten, that would pull Haas to within three points of VCARB for sixth.

Which would be a massive result for the team.

Of course, there is a long way to go before points are handed out at Silverstone, but this was a tremendous day for Hülkenberg, and Haas.

Loser: Charles Leclerc

Ferrari has been on the back foot all week, and that continued on Saturday.

Charles Leclerc bore the brunt of things, as he failed to advance into Q3 and is slated to start the main event alongside Logan Sargeant in P11.

Ferrari has struggled in the wake of Leclerc’s breakthrough victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, which saw the driver finally reach the top of the podium at his home race. Leclerc has scored just 12 points since that win at home, and the upgrades the team introduced following the Monaco Grand Prix have yet to deliver the improved performance Ferrari was seeking. While Carlos Sainz Jr. advanced to Q3 at Silverstone and scored a podium last week in Austria, Ferrari has slipped away from Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship standings since Monaco.

Starting from 11th Leclerc can certainly work his way into the points, but that is a small-picture issue. The bigger-picture question facing Leclerc — and Ferrari — is whether they can find the answers they need to the upgrades to the SF-24 introduced following Monaco.

Speaking with the media on Friday Leclerc indicated that the upgrades are doing what they expected, but it is a matter of getting the SF-24 into the right operating window to maximize the package. “We are still trying to work out where we need to set up the car in order to maximise the potential of those upgrades,” Leclerc told media on Friday. “Because, as I’ve said many times, the [performance] numbers that we were expecting from this upgrade is there.

“The upgrade is working the way it should be, but it’s more about where you run the car to optimise those numbers that we see that for now, we haven’t quite managed to do that. So we are still working on that.”

That work continues …

John Deere Classic Round 3 tee times for an exciting Moving Day john,deere,classic,round,tee,times,for,an,exciting,moving,day,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

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Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

It is Moving Day at the John Deere Classic.

CT Pan and Aaron Rai are tied for the lead at 14-under after they carded 8-under 63s.

TPC Deere Run is giving up so many birdies. The players have made 1,352 birdies and 35 eagles through 36 holes, more than 13 tournaments in total. If this pace remains, it could see the most birdies in a 2024 event.

Brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the third round of the John Deere Classic.

Notable names who missed the cut at the John Deere Classic

The cut line for the John Deere Classic was 5-under. The top 60 and ties make the weekend in Illinois, but check out the biggest names headed home early.

Popular golfers who missed the cut at the John Deere
— Daniel Berger (-4; 68-70)
— Harry Higgs (-3; 72-67)
— Matt Kuchar: (-3; 69-70)
— Nick Dunlap: (-3; 69-70)
— Kevin Kisner: (-2; 68-72)
— Patton Kizzire: (-1; 71-70)
— Maverick McNealy: (E; 67-75)
— Nick Hardy: (E; 70-72)
— Neal Shipley: (+2; 70-74)

John Deere Classic Round 3 Tee Times (ET):

Everyone tees off the 1st tee

7:55 a.m. — Thorbjørn Olesen, Wilson Furr

8:06 a.m. — Stewart Cink, Justin Suh, Ryan Palmer

8:17 a.m. — Kevin Streelman, Jake Knapp, Nico Echavarria

8:28 a.m. — Blaine Hale Jr., Bud Cauley, Kevin Chappell

8:39 a.m. — James Hahn, Matt NeSmith, Pierceson Coody

8:50 a.m. — Henrik Norlander, Brice Garnett, Sepp Straka

9:01 a.m. — Kyle Westmoreland, Joel Dahmen, Bill Haas

9:17 a.m. — Hayden Buckley, Roger Sloan, David Lipsky

9:28 a.m. — Scott Gutschewski, Jordan Spieth, Sam Stevens

9:39 a.m. — Kevin Dougherty, Mark Hubbard, Sam Ryder

9:50 a.m. — Doug Ghim, Ben Kohles, Jason Day

10:01 a.m. — S.H. Kim, J.T. Poston, Zac Blair

10:12 a.m. — Dylan Frittelli, Mac Meissner, Ben Griffin

10:23 a.m. — Trace Crowe, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Ben Taylor

10:39 a.m. — Austin Smotherman, Ben Silverman, Patrick Rodgers

10:50 a.m. — Justin Lower, Ryo Hisatsune, Seamus Power

11:01 a.m. — Lee Hodge, Robby Shelton, Chesson Hadley

11:12 a.m. — J.J. Spaun, Carson Young, Sami Valimaki

11:23 a.m. — Keith Mitchell, Jhonattan Vegas, Zach Johnson

11:34 a.m. — Max Greyserman, Lucas Glover, Beau Hossler

11:45 a.m. — Andrew Novak, Michael Thorbjornsen, Chandler Phillips

12:01 p.m. — Rico Hoey, Chan Kim, Joshua Creel

12:12 p.m. — Adam Svensson, Brendon Todd, Kevin Yu

12:23 p.m. — Luke Clanton (a), Sungjae Im, Hayden Springer

12:34 p.m. — Eric Cole, Davis Thompson, Denny McCarthy

12:45 p.m. — C.T. Pan, Aaron Rai, Harry Hall

ICYMI: Top stories from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and across professional golf

Check out these stories:

Golfers must avoid these 10 mistakes during every round they play

John Deere Classic: Hayden Springer’s epic sub-60 round makes TPC Deere Run look easy

Thursday’s Golf Tips: The 5 best ways to remain cool, hydrated on the golf course

Golf Talk Today: A quick July 4th golf fashion guide to stay trendy but patriotic

All golfers should do these 10 things during every round they play

TaylorMade and other brands give fans amazing patriotic golf equipment

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

First Round Of John Deere Classic is exciting, historic Birdie-fest first,round,of,john,deere,classic,is,exciting,historic,birdie,fest,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour

On: By: admin


Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

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.

ICYMI: Top stories across professional golf

Check out these stories:

Golfers must avoid these 10 mistakes during every round they play

Thursday’s Golf Tips: The 5 best ways to remain cool, hydrated on the golf course

Golf Talk Today: A quick July 4th golf fashion guide to stay trendy but patriotic

All golfers should do these 10 things during every round they play

Justin Rose qualifies for The Open; see who else made it to Royal Troon

LIV Golf’s Sergio Garcia falls short of The Open, frustrated by slow play warning

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.

Golf Talk Today: The simple do’s and don’ts of July 4th golf fashion golf,talk,today,the,simple,do,s,and,don,ts,of,july,th,golf,fashion,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions

On: By: admin


Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

First off, Happy Fourth of July!

As we all celebrate our patriotic freedom today, today’s topic is Fourth of July golf fashion. With the John Deere Classic starting today, we wanted to give a July 4th fashion guide — the Do’s and Do not’s.

A patriotic outfit can quickly go from trendy to loud, so let’s examine what works and does not for your Fourth of July golf round.

The Do’s of Patriotic Golf Fashion

Stick to the basics

Solid-color pants or polos are a great choice. Red, White and Blue are three great primary colors for building outfits.

Patterns are still fine; I’m not saying to avoid them, but just be smart about it.

Many pieces from the J. Lindeberg Team USA line are perfect options for the Fourth of July.

Before everyone freaks out about the bright pattern, the red polo is the classic approach I am talking about. The navy pants are also great.

Let the Pattern be the moment

If an American flag or any kind of pattern is what you want to wear, let it be the moment. Wear a more neutral pair of pants and shoes to match. Try to tie it together by matching the hat to the pants or to one of the colors in the pattern.

Don’t be so predictable

Yes, it is America’s Day of Freedom, but that does not mean American flags must be all over the clothing. Red, White, and Blue are iconic colors that people recognize as patriotic. There are some nice patterns out there that are great for the holiday, but remember, less can be more for days like the Fourth of July.

The Do not’s of Patriotic Golf Fashion

There is only one thing to avoid for golf fashion on the Fourth of July.

Please do not wear the American flag pattern all over

Less is more, especially when it comes to patriotic patterns. Wearing an American flag top and bottoms is way too much. Opt for the flag shirt and solid bottom or vice versa.

Most patriotic pants are too tacky, so avoid those at all costs.

John Daly is likely the only person who can wear those pants and pull them off because he is that confident.

That does not mean you can purchase one American flag item instead of the entire outfit.

ICYMI: Top stories across professional golf

Check out these stories:

Jordan Spieth reflects on history at John Deere Classic, making first start in 9 years

TaylorMade and other brands give fans amazing patriotic golf equipment

Bernhard Langer to play final DP World Tour event in native Germany 50 years after debut

John Deere Classic changed everything for Sepp Straka in 2023, propelled him to Ryder Cup

Justin Rose qualifies for The Open; see who else made it to Royal Troon

LIV Golf’s Sergio Garcia falls short of The Open, frustrated by slow play warning

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.

Why Bronny James getting a 4-year, $7.9M contract from the Lakers is no big deal why,bronny,james,getting,a,year,m,contract,from,the,lakers,is,no,big,deal,sbnation,com,front-page,nba

On: By: admin


The Lakers wasted no time in doing exactly what we knew they were doing: Signing Bronny James to a contract. It just so happened that he became the first second round pick to sign, a four-year deal, and with the new CBA people saw the announcement and began to lose it.

On the surface this seems beyond ludicrous. To be fair, it is the largest contract of all time given to a second round rookie pick — but it has nothing to do with LeBron or nepotism; it’s just the new normal of the 2023 CBA. The minimum annual salary for a 4-year deal is exactly what Bronny received, which means the total money side of this had nothing to do with who his dad is. The truth is that revenues are rising, the salary cap is expanding — and that’s why we keep seeing new records for contracts, with the trickle down effect being that rookies are getting more money as a result.

Pelle Larsson, the first second-rounder to sign this year got a three-year, $5.4 million deal from the Miami Heat — and had they added a fourth year he would have been on the exact same contract as Bronny James.

Now, we can certainly argue about the nature of this deal. A second round pick with as many questions as Bronny getting a contract before Summer League is definitely a perk of being LeBron’s son — but in the grand scheme of things it’s really a minor issue. He’s the No. 55 pick, who probably won’t contribute much, and earning just under $2M a year is relative chump change, commensurate with what the majority of deep rotation guys will make this season.

In the end this is all no harm, no foul. LeBron is going to ride out his career in Los Angeles, play with his son, continue with business ventures in the city — and sail off into the sunset.

Joey Chestnut’s exit from Nathan’s Hot Dog contest opens up spotlight for a new star joey,chestnut,s,exit,from,nathan,s,hot,dog,contest,opens,up,spotlight,for,a,new,star,sbnation,com,front-page,everything-is-sports,draftkings

On: By: admin


The news that Joey Chestnut was out of the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest rocked the world of competitive eating. Chestnut, who has claimed victory at the eight previous Nathan’s contests, still holds the record with 76 hot dogs eaten at the event and won the contest in 2020 by a whopping 33-hot dog margin.

But due to his partnership with Impossible Foods, Chestnut is out this year.

Who can emerge from the rest of the field to pick up the mantle?

It might be none other than Geoffrey Esper.

Esper has finished second to Chestnut in the last three years, including in 2023 when he finished second with 49 hot dogs consumed, 13 behind Chestnut. That was an improvement from his performance in 2022 when he finished second to Chestnut with 47 hot dogs consumed.

Esper, who teaches electronics at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in Charlton, Massachusetts, is the second-ranked competitive eater in the world. His list of records and accomplishments in the world of competitive eating includes some incredible feats, including eating:

  • 9.75 pounds of SPAM at “SPAMARAMA at the Circuit of the Americas during the 2021 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in eight minutes;
  • 95 two-ounce Market Street Tamales at the Lewisville Western Days Festival in ten minutes;
  • 17.75 bagels with cream cheese in eight minutes, and;
  • 23.75 pounds of strawberry shortcake at the Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival in eight minutes, which he accomplished last month.

Esper remains the world record holder in the strawberry shortcake category but in his mind, the Nathan’s contest is a much bigger challenge because it takes more than just a big stomach. “This isn’t as easy as other races like strawberry shortcakes where whoever has the biggest stomach wins,” he said recently. “You have to concentrate on what you are doing to eat so much.”

With Chestnut sidelined, Esper believes he finally has a shot at the title.“I definitely have a shot this year,” said Esper recently. But he knows the field is wide open without the returning champion.

“[With Chesnut] not there, it changes the dynamics of everything. It’s going to be a tight battle for first,” said Esper.

Perhaps finally the bridesmaid will get a chance to be the bride on Thursday.