Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges share the 54-hole lead at the John Deere Classic, with 16 players within five shots chasing a wild Sunday.
Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges have turned the John Deere Classic into a full-blown Sunday sprint.
Glover and Hodges finished the third round at TPC Deere Run tied at 16-under 197, setting up a crowded final-round chase loaded with American contenders, big names and a few potential history-makers.
With 16 players sitting within five shots of the lead, nobody is walking into Sunday with much breathing room.
Glover, the 2021 John Deere Classic champion and 2009 U.S. Open winner, has been in control or near the top since the opening round.
The 46-year-old veteran knows exactly what this tournament demands: birdies, aggression and no fear.
That’s the John Deere formula.
Low numbers travel fast in Silvis, and Glover understands that protecting a lead usually isn’t enough. He’ll be chasing his seventh PGA TOUR victory, and a win would also give his FedExCup playoff hopes a serious jolt.
Hodges is right there with him after matching Glover at 16 under. The 31-year-old Alabama native already owns a PGA TOUR win from the 2023 3M Open, but this will be a different kind of Sunday.
Instead of defending a cushion, Hodges will have to attack.
One shot back are Jackson Suber, Ben Kohles and Zac Blair at 15 under. Doug Ghim is two behind, while Zach Johnson, the 2012 John Deere Classic champion, lurks at 13 under as he tries to become one of the rare over-50 winners in PGA TOUR history.
The chase pack is stacked. Preston Stout, the reigning NCAA champion and top-ranked amateur, sits at 12 under alongside Max Homa and Rickie Fowler.
Stout, a rising Oklahoma State senior from Texas, has a chance to become just the ninth amateur to win on the PGA TOUR.
At 11 under, Chris Gotterup and Blades Brown remain dangerous. Gotterup entered the week as the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 14 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Brown, 19, is trying to become the first teenager to win on TOUR since Jordan Spieth captured the 2013 John Deere Classic.
Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune is the lone international player among the top 19 contenders, adding another layer to a leaderboard dominated by red, white and blue during America’s 250th birthday weekend.
At the John Deere Classic, Sunday won’t be about survival. It’ll be about who’s bold enough to keep firing.
