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SILVIS, Ill. — Davis Thompson made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday to break out of a logjam that at one point featured 10 players tied for the lead, giving him a 4-under 67 on a much tougher golf course and a one-shot lead in the John Deere Classic.
Thompson was among five players tied for the lead when he stood over his final putt, after Brian Campbell had just holed a 30-foot birdie putt.
His final birdie put him at 15-under 198, one shot ahead of Campbell, Max Homa, Emiliano Grillo and David Lipsky, each of whom had a 68.
About the only player not in the mix was 36-hole leader Doug Ghim, who played his last 10 holes with two bogeys and no birdies and shot 74, pushing him outside the top 20.
Thompson had a birdie-birdie finish, though he missed an 8-foot eagle attempt on the par-5 17th hole. He will try to become the first player to win back-to-back at the John Deere Classic since Steve Stricker won three in a row from 2009 through 2011.
Also at stake for Thompson is a chance to get into the British Open, as a victory would move him to the top of the alternate list determined by the next world ranking.
But the final 18 holes feels a lot longer off considering how many players are very much in the mix going into Sunday.
“Nice to have some momentum going into tomorrow,” Thompson said.
Camilo Villegas (69) and Austin Eckroat (67) were among four players three shots behind. Matt Kuchar (67) and Auburn junior Jackson Koivun were in the group four back. Thirteen players were within four shots of the lead.
Of the top 14 players, only Lipsky, Koivun and Kevin Roy have yet to win on the PGA Tour. Homa is the most proven of the lot, though he has been trying to pull himself out of a deep slump that has left him on the outside of just trying to make the PGA Tour playoffs this year.
Homa was steady again, even after one of his rare misses. He was some 40 yards left of the green at the par-5 10th, even going across the road, but managed to escape with par and then took advantage of the scoring holes on the back nine for his 68.
Homa last won on the PGA Tour in January 2023 at Torrey Pines. He has been under scrutiny this year for his poor form — more than a year since his last top 10 — while changing coaches, equipment and twice changing caddies.
“Golf has just been very boring for me this year. I haven’t had a whole lot of stress, and you want to be stressed out. So I look forward to the butterflies in the morning; I look forward to the first tee shot,” Homa said. “It’s just nice to get to feel that again. It’s been a while.”
This was not the same TPC Deere Run that yielded low scores over the opening two rounds. The starting times were moved up to avoid afternoon thunderstorms, and hot weather and wind combined to make the greens firmer and fasters. Plus, several of the pins were tucked along the edges, punishing misses on the wrong side.
No one shot lower than 66 in the third round. There were 28 scores of 65 or better over the opening two rounds.
“Certainly makes for a fun Sunday when a bunch of guys have a chance,” Kuchar said.
One of them is Koivun, still four shots back but with a chance to make it two years in a row with an amateur winning on the PGA Tour. Nick Dunlap won The American Express last year in January and left Alabama to turn pro, having $20 million signature events to play.
Koivun already is assured a PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University accelerated program but is deferring that to return to Auburn.
“It’s obviously very inspiring to see what he did about a year ago now,” Koivun said. “Obviously, to be one of the few [amateurs] to win a professional event would be great. At the end of the day I just got to go give it my best shot and be happy with the result.”
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