SILVIS, Ill. -- Sebastian Munoz never knows when the switch will come on and the putts start to fall, but he recognized it happening Thursday in the John Deere Classic. Munoz was motoring along when he closed with five straight birdies at the TPC Deere Run for an 8-under 63, turning a solid day into a share of the lead with Chesson Hadley. "I just go blank, to be honest," Munoz said. "It's funny because when I make a lot of birdies, I usually play a little more safe and pick my spots. I have like 10-, 12-footers and they start to drop. That's what I did today. And that's where we're at." Hadley was on the other side of the course, finishing on the front nine. It wasn't nearly as spectacular, but he played bogey-free and had back-to-back birdies on three occasions. He was helped by making three of his birdies from 25 feet. Hank Lebioda, who finished one shot out of the playoff last week in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, was poised to join them. He was 7 under through 12 holes and tied the lead with a tee shot on the 213-yard seventh hole that stopped 20 inches from the cup. But he missed the fairway to the right on the par-4 ninth, chose to pitch back to the fairway and hit a wedge to 6 feet below the cup. He missed the par putt and had to settle for a 64. Chez Reavie and Camilo Villegas, who played in the morning, also were at 64. Scoring was so good in immaculate conditions that nearly half the field broke 70. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, who chose to play in the 50th anniversary of the John Deere Classic instead of defending his title in the U.S. Senior Open, got off to a sluggish start until he rallied with a few birdies on the front nine for a 70. That will leave the three-time John Deere champion some work to do Friday afternoon to make the cut. But at least Stricker gets a little more sleep for that 54-year-old body. "I'm not used to getting up at 5 in the morning anymore to play," Stricker said. "And I kind of played like I was still asleep for a while. Righted the ship a little bit. A little disappointed that I didn't capitalize on a few more of those coming in." The leading player from among the top five at the end of the week earns a trip to the Open Championship if he's not already exempt. Munoz is in the field next week at Royal St. George's. Hadley is not, though with so many low scores, it will take two more days to sort that out. Cam Davis, a playoff winner in Detroit last week, had to turn down his spot in the Open. Kevin Na decided to withdraw because of travel requirements in place for family members, and next on the reserve list was Davis. One problem. The Australian can't travel overseas. He got married last September, lives with his American-born wife in Seattle and decided to start the process of getting a green card for ease of travel overseas and going home to Australia. He's at the stage now where he can't go overseas until he gets a temporary card. He knew that even before winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic. And he will get by. The emotions of winning for the first time can take a toll. Davis wasn't sure if he would continue his good form or run out of gas. Thursday was a little of both. He holed an 8-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second and reached 6 under through 11 holes, only to play 2 over the rest of the way for a respectable 67. "I'm looking forward to seeing my family and celebrating back in Seattle next week and recharging a little bit because this week is already a bit of a grind to get through," Davis said. "I'm pretty tired. It'll be nice to relax."
Taylor Moore opened with a 63 at the nearly 8,000-yard TPC Colorado Championship, tying the course record.
Everything you need to know for Friday's second round at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.
The John Deere Classic celebrates his 50th anniversary. The best pictures of round one.
Cameron Davis clinches the top spot the Rocket Mortgage Classic on the PGA Tour, beating out Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann in five-hole playoff. Tom Lewis rounds off the tournament in T25 position. The Englishman showed a final round of 72 at Detroit Golf Club. With a total score of -11 he finished 7 shots behind the leader. Russell Knox, 222 in the official world golf ranking, finishes the tournament in T41 place. The Scotsman posted a final round of 72 at Detroit Golf Club. With a total score of -8 he finished 10 strokes behind the leader after the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Danny Willett, 105 in the official world golf ranking, finishes the tournament in T67 position. The Englishman logged a final round of 74 at Detroit Golf Club. With a total score of -5 he finished 13 strokes behind the leader after the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The Rocket Mortgage Classic is part of the PGA Tour. The tournament is being played from July 1st until the 4th of July 2021 at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan (USA). Players will receive a total of $7,500,000 will be given to the players. The course for the tournament at Detroit Golf Club plays at Par 72. The tournament has only been played on the PGA Tour since 2019, and the third edition heralds the month when the last major of the year and the Olympic golf tournament will be held. Top-5 Leaderboard: Rocket Mortgage Classic Pos Name Today Total 1 Cameron Davis -5 -18 T2 Troy Merritt -4 -18 T2 Joaquin Niemann -4 -18 T4 Alexander Noren -8 -17 T4 Hank Lebioda -4 -17 Show complete leaderboard of Rocket Mortgage Classic This is a generated text. Possible errors can be reported here.
Cameron Davis wins the Rocket Mortage Classic in five-hole playoff. The best pictures of the final round.
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Rocket Mortgage Classic: Troy Merritt currently co-leads the Rocket Mortgage Classic following 0 bogeys in his third of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Troy Merritt leads on the PGA Tour´s Rocket Mortgage Classic with Joaquin Niemann who share the top spot at the PGA Tour´s Rocket Mortgage Classic after third round. They sit at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 14 under par. Hank Lebioda and Cameron Davis in position T3 with a score of 13 under par. Tom Lewis is at -11 after the third round at rank T6. The Englishman played the course at the Detroit Golf Club in 71 shots in the third round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Russell Knox carded a third round 72 to find himself in T25 position and trailing leader Troy Merritt by 6 shots. Knox, currently ranked 222 in the official world golf ranking, logged 4 birdies in his third round. Danny Willett is at -7 after the third round at position T35. The Englishman played the course at the Detroit Golf Club in 71 shots in the third round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The Rocket Mortgage Classic is part of the PGA Tour. The tournament is being played from July 1st until the 4th of July 2021 at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan (USA). Players will receive a total of $7,500,000 will be given to the players. The course for the tournament at Detroit Golf Club plays at Par 72. The tournament has only been played on the PGA Tour since 2019, and the third edition heralds the month when the last major of the year and the Olympic golf tournament will be held. Top-5 Leaderboard: Rocket Mortgage Classic Pos Name Today Total T1 Troy Merritt -5 -14 T1 Joaquin Niemann -4 -14 T3 Hank Lebioda -6 -13 T3 Cameron Davis -5 -13 5 Brandon Hagy -4 -12 Show complete leaderboard of Rocket Mortgage Classic This is a generated text. Possible errors can be reported here.
DETROIT (AP) — Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama was withdrawn from the Rocket Mortgage Classic after testing positive for COVID-19. The PGA Tour made the announcement Friday just before Matsuyama was scheduled to start his second round. Tour officials were unable to say whether Matsuyama has been vaccinated. The PGA Tour, though, does not test fully vaccinated players. “I will take all the necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of all others,” he said in a statement. “I appreciat
