Power chasing John Deere victory and possible Open Championship berth

Mark McGowan
|
|

Séamus Power is chasing a third PGA Tour win (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Mark McGowan

Feature Interviews

Latest Stories

Séamus Power finds himself just three shots back and sharing sixth going into the final round of the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Wisconsin where Davis Thompson holds the solo lead.

The Waterford man started brightly on moving day, picking up a couple of early birdies but two bogeys in his final three holes on the front side stalled his early momentum and it looked as though his challenge could peter out as he’d given himself excellent birdie looks throughout the front side and level-par was just about the worst score he could’ve shot.

Failure to birdie the par-5 10th only highlighted the frustrations, but when he rolled in a 10-footer for birdie on 11 and followed with a superb long-iron into the par-3 12th and drained the putt, he was back up and running. Further chances came and went, but there was still time for a grandstand finish when he sank a 25-footer on the last for birdie after finding the fairway bunker off the tee and it leaves him poised for a Sunday charge is his ball striking – 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach – continues and his putter heats up a little.

Ranked 141st in the world, he likely needs a victory to push himself high enough in the world rankings to push his way towards the top of the alternate list for The Open Championship at Portrush, and it would be his first PGA Tour win since claiming the Bermuda Championship back in late 2022.

Davis Thompson made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to break out of a logjam that at one point featured 10 players tied for the lead, giving him a four-under 67 and a one-shot lead.

Thompson was among five players tied for the lead when he stood over his final putt after Brian Campbell had just holed a 30-foot birdie putt.

His final birdie put him at 15-under, one shot ahead of Campbell, Max Homa, Emiliano Grillo, and David Lipsky, each of whom scored a 68.

About the only player not in contention was 36-hole leader Doug Ghim, who played his last 10 holes with two bogeys and no birdies, scoring a 74, which pushed him outside the top 20.

Thompson had a birdie-birdie finish, though he missed an 8-foot eagle attempt on the par-5 17th hole. He will aim to become the first player to win back-to-back at the John Deere Classic since Steve Stricker won three in a row from 2009 to 2011.

Thompson is also hoping to qualify for The Open Championship, as a victory would move him to the top of the alternate list.

However, the final 18 holes feel much longer considering how many players remain in contention going into Sunday.

“Nice to have some momentum going into tomorrow,” Thompson said.

Camilo Villegas (69) and Austin Eckroat (67) were among four players three shots behind. Matt Kuchar (67) and Auburn junior Jackson Koivun were in the group four shots back. Thirteen players were within four shots of the lead.

Of the top 14 players, only Lipsky, Koivun, and Kevin Roy have yet to win on the PGA TOUR. Homa is the most experienced of the group, though he has been trying to pull himself out of a deep slump that has left him struggling to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs this year.

FULL SCORING

Stay ahead of the game. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest Irish Golfer news straight to your inbox!

More News

Leave a comment


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy & Terms of Service apply.