Zach Johnson is skipping three majors for the John Deere Classic, and the Iowa native made the decision pay off on Thursday with an eagle-birdie finish for a seven-under 64 that left him one shot off the lead in Illinois.
Joint leaders Lucas Glover and Zac Blair played in the morning and each posted a 63, a good start for both as the PGA Tour heads into the final two months. Both are well outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup.
The British contingent was spearheaded by Matt Wallace, who is still in contention at four under after notching six birdies and two bogeys on the way to a 67 after notching a runners-up finish at the Italian Open last week.
Johnson, a 50-year-old in his first year on the PGA Tour Champions and already with two victories, never considered anything but the John Deere Classic - even with the US Senior Open in Ohio this week at Scioto.
He used his putter from off the green for a 45-foot eagle on the par-five 17th, and capped off his round with a shot into 12 feet for a closing birdie.
"I just love being here, and I'm comfortable, obviously," 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-distance son to this area.
"A lot of affinity, a lot of affection."
Glover, who goes on the PGA Tour board next year, is at No 119 in the FedEx Cup. His exemption from winning back-to-back weeks in 2023 - including a FedEx Cup playoff event - ends after this year. Blair is at No 160 and has been playing where he can, along with Korn Ferry Tour events.
"Playing golf professionally is pretty stressful, especially for me," Blair said. "I've 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 tour I'm playing on. It's still golf at the end of the day, which is fun."
Glover began the year recovering from surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder, and to put together a round like his 63 was encouraging to know good golf is still in there. And it helps being on a property that brings good memories.
"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.
Stephan Jaeger and Lee Hodges joined Johnson at 64. Jaeger is at No 60 in the FedEx Cup, wanting to be sure he's among the top 70 in six weeks to qualify for the postseason.
Jordan Spieth, playing the 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 69.
Scoring was good, as usual, with 20 players at 66 or lower. That included NCAA champion Preston Stout, who takes over as the No 1 amateur in the world because Jackson Koivun turned pro.
Koivun made his professional debut and it was a struggle. He wound up with a 73, leaving him in danger of missing the cut.
