SILVIS, Ill. (AP) – Doug Ghim perfected his holed out shot from the fairway again, scoring an eagle for the second consecutive day. This achievement led him to a 3-under 68 and a narrow one-shot lead at the John Deere Classic.
Defending champion Davis Thompson, who scored a 63, and Max Homa with a 68, are among five players trailing closely behind as they head into the weekend.
Due to expected rainfall, the starting times have been adjusted for Saturday’s rounds. Players will tee off early while CBS will provide primary coverage from 1-4 p.m. on Paramount+, CBSSports.com, and the CBS Sports App.
Ghim managed an impressive eagle on the par-4 sixth during the first round and followed it up with another on the par-4 15th, this time from a distance of 179 yards.
“I guess holing out two days in a row is always nice,” Ghim remarked. “It’s been a couple of years since I’ve managed that. To accomplish it twice in consecutive days is fantastic.”
Despite leading until making a bogey after hitting into some trees, Ghim remained focused, noting, “The person that’s going to win this tournament will likely be in the 20-under area, so I am not there yet.”
Max Homa, meanwhile, was in a strong position but faced trouble on the 18th hole, leading to a missed par putt and leaving him just one shot back.
Homa expressed cautious optimism as he gears up for the following rounds, stating, “I don’t think much changes. Just play the course. You’ll need to shoot really low. Trying to do something specific may not work, given someone could easily shoot 11 under and take the lead. So, we’ll continue as we did today.”
The competition was intense late in the day, with Rikuya Hoshino and Jesper Svensson each making crucial birdies on their last holes to establish a cut line of 5-under, before Paul Peterson’s bogey altered the standings back to 4-under. In a thrilling finish, Brendan Valdes’s impressive birdie on the 18th ensured he remained in contention, moving the cut to its final number and eliminating 14 players.
Remarkably, 12 players are closely bunched within just two shots heading into the third round, including notable names like Camilo Villegas, Sam Stevens, and Si Woo Kim.
