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Todd Leads John Deere Classic

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SILVIS – Three-time Tour winner Brendon Todd is the only PGA Tour winner among the top five on the current John Deere leaderboard as Eight of the 13 players within three strokes of the lead are seeking their first Tour victory.

The John Deere Classic has produced 23 first-time Tour winners, the most of any event since 1970.

John Deere Classic

Alex Smalley matched his low round of career on TOUR (62).

Peter Kuest will become eligible for PGA TOUR Special Temporary Membership by completing the tournament.

Jonas Blixt can become the first since 1992 to win this event with an over-par round during the week.

Second-round leader Cameron Young carded a double bogey on final hole and sits three back on the crowded leaderboard. Twelve players are within three strokes of the leader.

Cam Young in a Great Place

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NOTE: Due to anticipated Saturday morning thunderstorms, third-round tee times will be approximately 9:55/10:55am (CT/ET) to 11:55am/12:55pm (CT/ET) in groups of three off tees Nos. 1 and 10.

SILVIS – Seeking his first title on the Tour, Cameron Young holds the 36-hole lead/co-lead for the first time during his PGA Tour career.

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Adam Schenk and William Mouw are the only players bogey-free through 36 holes.

With a win, Garrick Higgo could join Brian Harman as the only left-handers to win at TPC Deere Run.

Three-time winner Brendon Todd is the only multiple PGA Tour winner at 9-under or better while Tour rookie Ludvig Aberg carded his low round on Tour (64) thus far.

J.T. Poston sits T-18 at 7-under in a bid to become the fourth player to successfully defend a John Deere Classic title.

Starting on the back nine, first-round leader Jonas Blixt (T-18/-7) posted nine straight pars on the same nine holes he carded the first sub-30 nine-hole score of his PGA Tour career on Thursday (29). Of the players who made the cut, Blixt is the only player to shoot an over-par score (73) in the second round.

There’s some youth in the air at Deere Run. Ages of the leaders:

Young (26), Schenk (31), Higgo (24), Todd (37), Aberg (23), Mouw (22), McCarthy (30), Roy (33).

John Deere Classic Leaderboard | After 36 Holes

Cameron Young 65-64—129 (-13)

Adam Schenk 65-66—131 (-11)

Garrick Higgo 65-66—131 (-11)

Brendon Todd 66-65—131 (-11)

Ludvig Aberg 68-64—132 (-10)

William Mouw 66-66—132 (-10)

Denny McCarthy 68-64—132 (-10)

Kevin Roy 69-63—132 (-10)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour: John Deere Classic Preview

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SILVIS – The John Deere Classic is the 38th of 44 FedEx Cup Regular Season events, with just seven events played over the next five weeks before the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

New in 2023, the Top 70 players (not 125) at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship will qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

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There are nine players in the field within the Top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, the most at the event since 2012 (9), led by reigning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and 2022 Presidents Cup participant Cameron Young (No. 19), who is making his tournament debut, and No. 29 Russell Henley, who finished runner-up at the 2019 John Deere Classic.

J.T. Poston won the 2022 John Deere Classic in wire-to-wire fashion, earning his second career PGA Tour title and first since the 2019 Wyndham Championship. Poston went on to qualify for the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career and finished the season No. 15 in the FedExCup standings. With a win, Poston would become the fourth player to successfully defend a title this season, joining Max Homa (Fortinet Championship), Rory McIlroy (THE CJ CUP) and Scottie Scheffler (WM Phoenix Open). Five players successfully defended a title during the 2021-22 season, the most since 2007 (5).

Zach Johnson has made 14 consecutive cuts at the John Deere Classic, with his most recent MC coming in 2007. The only other player that has made the cut at the same PGA TOUR event every year since the start of the 2008 season is Matt Kuchar, who has made the cut in each of the last 17 years at the RBC Heritage (DNP/2006). Johnson is making his 21st start at the event, three shy of Jay Delsing for most in tournament history, and with a made cut, would tie D.A. Weibring‘s tournament record for most total made cuts (18). Johnson has recorded seven top-10s at the event, highlighted by a win in 2012 and runner-up finishes in 2009, 2013 and 2014.

One of the tournament favorites, Denny McCarthy, finished T-6 at the 2022 John Deere Classic, his first Top-10 in four starts at the event. Currently at No. 34 in the Official World Golf Ranking, McCarthy is the third-highest-ranked player in the field. He enters the week with three Top-10s in his last six starts, highlighted by a runner-up at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, where he lost in a playoff to Viktor Hovland.

PGA TOUR rookie Ludvig Aberg is making his ninth career start on Tour and his fourth since joining the TOUR as a member via PGA TOUR University. Aberg entered the third round of last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in a tie for third before going on to finish T-40. He enters the week No. 188 in the FedEx Cup standings. Only the Top 70 will qualify.

Luke List, Charlie Hoffman, Webb Simpson, Brandon Wu and C.T. Pan are among the players no longer competing at the John Deere (WDs).

On Wednesday, Brian Gay (WD/back injury) – with Tommy Gainey in;  Justin Lower (WD) – Arjun Atwal (IN)

PGA Tour: Fowler Ends the Drought

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DETROIT – Rocket Mortgage ambassador Rickie Fowler defeated Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin with a birdie-3 on the first playoff hole (No. 18) to record his sixth PGA Tour title and his first since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open.

The Playoff records for the 3 players: Fowler (3-2), Morikawa (1-3), Hadwin (0-1)

Fowler won in the seventh PGA Tour Playoff of the season and the second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic (Cam Davis/2021). Morikawa finished runner-up for the seventh time in 94 Tour starts while Hadwin picks up his fifth runner-up finish in 239 starts on the circuit.

Peter Kuest finished T-4 in his failed bid to become the first Open Qualifier to win on Tour since Corey Conners at the 2019 Valero Texas Open. Kuest’s Top-10 finish earned a spot in this week’s John Deere Classic field.

Stephan Jaeger tied the Detroit Golf Club’s 18-hole scoring record with a 9-under (63) which was the third record (63) of the week.

Max Homa aced No. 15 for his second hole-in-one on Tour.

With rainy conditions all day, preferred lies were in effect for the final round.

Rocket Mortgage Classic | Final Leaderboard

P1 Rickie Fowler 67 65 64 68 264 (-24)*

P2 Collin Morikawa 66 67 67 64 264 (-24)

P2 Adam Hadwin 66 68 63 67 264 (-24)

T4 Taylor Moore 64 67 69 67 267 (-21)

T4 Lucas Glover 69 69 64 65 267 (-21)

T4 Peter Kuest 64 70 65 68 267 (-21)

*Won with birdie-3 on first playoff hole (No. 18)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour: Rocket Mortgage Preview

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DETROIT – A red hot Tony Finau won the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic, his second victory in as many weeks following his victory at the 2022 3M Open the week prior. In the last 12 months, Finau has won four times on Tour, including wins this season at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and Mexico Open at Vidanta. Finau is one of 11 players in the field that has won on Tour this season.

Keegan Bradley won last week’s Travelers Championship by three strokes over Brian Harman and Zac Blair. Bradley earned his sixth PGA Tour title and second of the season. With the win, Bradley moved to No. 5 in the FedEx Cup standings and No. 18 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Six players in the field finished in the Top 10 at last week’s Travelers Championship:

Finish at 2023 Travelers Championship

  • Keegan Bradley (Won)
  • Zac Blair T-2
  • Brian Harman T-2
  • Chez Reavie T-4
  • Alex Smalley T-9
  • Justin Thomas T-9

Rocket Mortgage Classic | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan

YARDS/PAR: 7,370 yards/Par 72

ARCHITECT: Donald Ross

PRIZE Money – Purse: $8,800,000/$1,584,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Tony Finau

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @RocketClassic

How to Watch: In case of changes, visit: (PGATourCom)

Rocket Mortgage Classic | Basics

The Tee Times at Rocket Mortgage run Thursday from 6:45am (ET) to 2:22pm (ET).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast is for mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the 69-85-degree range. Only a 15% chance of rain. Winds 11 mph.

Tournament Web Site: (link)

FedEx Cup Standings: (link)

Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour Brunch will post at 6:30am (ET) Thursday

Rocket Mortgage Classic – Field, Updates and Tee Times:

The Field: (link)

Updates:

Sunday
Chase Johnson in (sponsor exemption)
Nicolai Hojgaard in (sponsor exemption)
Andrew Putnam WD; Aaron Baddeley in

Monday
Patrick Rodgers WD; Nicolai Hojgaard in on his own number
Kyle Stanley in (sponsor exemption)
Hayden Buckley WD; Sean O’Hair in

Tuesday
Harris English WD; Cody Gribble in

Tee Times: (link)

 

Bradley Not Slowing Down at Travelers

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CROMWELL, Conn – New England’s Keegan Bradley recorded opening 54-hole score of 189, his lowest on the PGA Tour and one stroke shy of the all-time PGA Tour record. Bradley is seeking his sixth career Tour victory.

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The 2019 Travelers Championship winner Chez Reavie is looking for his fourth career Tour title. Reavie posted his lowest career opening 54-hole score (190) ever.

Bradley and Reavie play in the final round together for the third time on Tour (2019 Travelers Championship, 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions).

Australia’s Adam Scott is seeking to become the first international winner at the Travelers Championship since 2016 (Russell Knox/Scotland).

Defending champion Xander Schauffele (T-18) has never successfully defended a title in five previous attempts on the Tour.

Travelers Championship | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Keegan Bradley 62-63-64—189 (-21)

Chez Reavie 64-63-63—190 (-20)

Patrick Cantlay 65-68-61—194 (-16)

Rickie Fowler 70-65-60—195 (-15)

Adam Scott 62-68-65—195 (-15)

Denny McCarthy 60-65-70—195 (-15)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Bradley, McCarthy Tied After Record 36 Holes

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CROMWELL, Conn – Co-leaders Denny McCarthy and Keegan Bradley set the Travelers record for best 36-hole score. McCarthy holds 36-hole lead/co-lead for the first time in his career while Bradley is the second player this season to open with two rounds of (63) or better.

Only four players have posted lower opening 36-hole scores in PGA Tour history.

Reigning FedEx Cup champion and World No. 3 Rory McIlroy (T-10) moved into the Top-10 with 6-under (64).

Travelers’ 2022 winner, Xander Schauffele, (T-10) has never successfully defended a title in five previous attempts on Tour.

FedExCup leader Jon Rahm missed the cut for the first time on Tour since 2021 Fortinet Championship (Note: WD after first-round 71 at 2023 PLAYERS Championship)

Of the nine players at 9-under or better, three are international players – all from Australia (Adam Scott, Lucas Herbert, Min Woo Lee).

Travelers Championship | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

Denny McCarthy 60-65—125 (-15)

Keegan Bradley 62-63—125 (-15)

Chez Reavie 64-63—127 (-13)

Eric Cole 64-65—129 (-11)

Zac Blair 65-65—130 (-10)

Adam Scott 62-68—130 (-10)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Clark Takes U.S Open Over McIlroy

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Wyndham Clark posted an even-par 70 to outlast Rory McIlroy and announce himself on the major stage, claiming the 123rd U.S. Open for the first major championship of his career on Sunday at the Los Angeles Country Club.

With a 10-under 270, Clark edged the Northern Irishman desperate to end his nine-year major drought by a single shot. Clark two-putted the 72nd hole from 60 feet for par, his winning tap-in unleashing a fount of emotion amid his celebration.

McIlroy also shot a 70 and didn’t make a birdie after the first hole, never putting enough pressure on the less experienced Clark.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (70) placed third at 7 under, Australia’s Cam Smith (67) was fourth at 6 under and Rickie Fowler shot a 75 to drop into a tie for fifth at 5 under with Tommy Fleetwood of England (63) and Min Woo Lee of Australia (67).

In his fifth full season on the PGA Tour, Clark won his first tournament last month when he beat a strong field at the Wells Fargo Championship. The 29-year-old from Denver nonetheless flew under the radar entering the week, especially after Fowler and Xander Schauffele opened the championship with the first two rounds of 62 in U.S. Open history.

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After a birdie-bogey start, Clark stuck his tee shot at the par-3 fourth to 5 feet and his approach at the par-4 sixth to 4 1/2 feet, converting both birdies to reach 12 under. At the par-5 eighth, he couldn’t punch out of some grass nearly as tall as him on the first try and wound up with a bogey.

The par-3 ninth was the first of five enormous par saves in a row before the pivotal 14th. He gave an emphatic fist pump as a 7-foot par putt dropped.

McIlroy made a messy bogey at the par-5 14th hole and Clark followed behind him with a birdie, effectively a two-shot swing that gave Clark a three-shot cushion with four holes to play.

 

U.S. Open Headed for Grand Finale

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LOS ANGELES – At 10-under (200), Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowlershare the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open. Rory McIlroy sits one back.

Fowler holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the 10th time on Tour and the first time in a major. He is only 2-for-9 to date in converting into victory.

Clark holds the lead/co-lead for the third time in individual stroke-play events on Tour and the first time in a major. Overall, he is 1-for-2 to date in converting into victory.

Four-time major champion and World No. 3 McIlroy opened his 15th U.S. Open with three rounds in the 60s for the fifth time. He went on to win three of the previous four times he accomplished that feat.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler holed out from 196 yards for eagle on the par-4 17th then followed with a birdie on No. 18 for a 2-under (68). He trails the leaders by three strokes after 54 holes.

This week marks just the third time in the last 20 years that two of the top three players in the world rankings will be in the Top 4 on the leaderboard entering the final round of the U.S. Open. The others: 2006 – Phil Mickelson/Vijay Singh and then 2022 – Scheffler/Jon Rahm).

History Lesson: The eventual champion has been within four shots of the lead heading into the final round of the last 24 U.S. Open tournaments.

The largest come-from-behind victory in the final round of the U.S. Open is seven strokes, an accomplishment by the great Arnold Palmer in 1960.

No. 15 played at 80 yards in the third round, making it the shortest par-3 in U.S. Open history.

123rd U.S. Open Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Wyndham Clark 64-67-69—200 (-10)

Rickie Fowler 62-68-70—200 (-10)

Rory McIlroy 65-67-69—201 (-9)

Scottie Scheffler 67-68-68—203 (-7)

Harris English 67-66-71—204 (-6)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

U.S. Open: Ready for Hollywood

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LOS ANGELES – Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick earned his first PGA TOUR title at the 2022 U.S. Open, becoming the first player to do so in a major since Danny Willett at the 2016 Masters Tournament. The last player to successfully defend a major championship title was Brooks Koepka at the 2019 PGA Championship.

Koepka is also the last player to win the U.S. Open in back-to-back years (2017, 2018). Fitzpatrick, who won the RBC Heritage earlier this season, enters the week at No. 28 in the FedEx Cup standings.

The 2023 U.S. Open is the first major championship held at The Los Angeles Country Club and will be contested on the North Course. The first edition of the Los Angeles Open, now known as The Genesis Invitational, was held at LACC (North) in 1926, and the event has been held there a total of five times (1926, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940). The last major championship played in the Los Angeles area was the 1995 PGA Championship, held at The Riviera Country Club, the host venue of The Genesis Invitational.

2021 U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm enters the week as the FedExCup leader with four wins this season, including the Masters Tournament. With a win this week, Rahm would become the first player to win five times in a season since Justin Thomas in 2016-17 and the first to win multiple majors in the same year since Jordan Spieth in 2015 (Masters, U.S. Open). With 3,042 FedExCup points so far this season, Rahm has the fifth-highest total in a single FedExCup Regular Season since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007. He is 17 points behind No. 4 (Tiger Woods/2013) and 1,127 behind No. 1 (Jordan Spieth/2014-15).

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The 2011 U.S. Open winner and reigning FedEx Cup Champion Rory McIlroyhas won four majors (2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 Open Championship, 2014 PGA Championship) but none since the start of the 2014-15 season. McIlroy has 18 Top-10s in majors since his most recent title, the most of any player in that span.

McIlroy is making his 48th start in a major and 33rd since winning the 2014 PGA Championship.

There are four players in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking that have not won a major: No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, No. 5 Viktor Hovland, No. 6 Xander Schauffele and No. 7 Max Homa. Those four players have combined for 25 PGA Tour titles and have all won at least twice since the start of the 2021-22 season.