It was a tale of two nines for Waterford’s Séamus Power as the 39-year-old began well, but ultimately succumbed to a back injury closing out his first and only round at the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.
Power began with a birdie at the par-4 first after finding the middle of the fairway to put him in postion to wedge it close, which he did for a tap in three. Power made another at the par-4 eighth to take the turn in good shape at two-under-par.
This however, wouldn’t last long as the back pain began to rush in on the back nine, starting with back-to-back bogeys at the 10th and 11th as Power really began to struggle phsyically.
Things went from bad to worse for Power as he hit a hat-trick of double bogeys at the 15th, 16th, and 17th to take him to six-over.
Both 15 and 16 saw Power take penalty strokes off the tee, hitting both tee balls into the native rough on the left hand side as he couldn’t get his swing in line. It was at the 17th where Power’s injury really showed it’s teeth as his back began to stiffen, sending his drive into spectator’s area. Considering the circumstances, Power did very well to par the last to post a six-over-par 77.
Power informed the PGA officials of his withdrawal shortly after completing his round, bringing another frustrating chapter in his ongoing battle with injury. Power has been battling injuries since 2023 when persistent hip problems began to get in the way, followed by further back muscle issues in 2024 and 2025.
The two-time PGA Tour winner has made 10/14 cuts this year alongside earning a single top-10 finish.
Both Lucas Glover and Zac Blair sit T1 after the pair posted an eight-under-par first round. Glover and Blair really set the tone early as they both carded bogey-free rounds.
Glover is taken some encouragement knowing that there is fight in the old dog yet after recovering from a torn labrum in his shoulder.
“Even struggling like I have this year, you pull down the driveway somewhere you’ve had success, it gives you a good feeling. Yeah, always liked it here,” Glover said.
Blair is hoping for a strong weekend to see him at the right side of the FedEx Cup rankings as he takes as many events as he can whilst also teeing up on the Korn Ferry.
“Playing golf professionally is pretty stressful, especially for me,” Blair said. “I’ve kind of always been right in that 125 to 150 spot my whole career. So every start is important. Just trying to do a good job of playing well, whichever kind of tour I’m playing on. It’s still golf at the end of the day, which is fun.”
There is a three-way tie for T3 as Lee Hodges, Stephan Jaeger, and Zach Johnson all sit one stroke back from the leaders at seven-under.
Johnson is skipping three majors for the John Deere Classic, which feels like a major for the Iowa native. The 50-year-old never considered anything but the John Deere Classic, even with the U.S. Senior Open in Ohio this week at Scioto.
“I just love being here, and I’m comfortable,” said Johnson, who won the John Deere Classic in 2012. “My scorecard … I know that’s an ingredient this week, but it’s not everything. I can’t stress it enough. I’m just appreciative of having a partnership with John Deere and feeling like a long, long-distance son to this area.”
Jordan Spieth, playing the John Deere for only the second time since winning in 2015, had a double bogey on the 18th hole in the middle of his round and closed with a bogey for a one-under-par 70.
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