John Deere Classic: First round highlights
Kris Blanks, playing for the third year on the PGA Tour, shot an eight-under, 63 on the first day of the John Deere Classic to stay clear of the rest of the field with one shot at the TPC Deere Run in Silvis.
Blanks started off with his back nine first and reeled in four birdies, dropping just one shot at par-four, 11th to grab an early lead before making the turn. He shot another six birdies, dropping just one shot on the front nine to post a massive
score on the leaderboard, ahead of Davis Love lll and Matt McQuillan.
“It was good to finally see some putts fall, which I've been struggling with all year,” said Blanks, who has missed the cut in 11 of 20 tournaments. “So that was definitely a positive. It's just fun to make some putts.”
Blanks has had a disappointing run so far in the season and missed 11 cuts in his 20 appearances on the PGA Tour. His best results came in the Crown Plaza Invitational where he finished for a joint 10th. The player managed to get a tour card for
the tournament after qualifying through the Monday qualifiers and is hoping to post a strong finish, if not a victory, to keep his playing status for the rest of the year.
McQuillan was also among the surprise performers of the first round, when he landed a seven-under, 64 to head to the clubhouse tied for the second spot alongside Love, and Steve Marino. The player has missed ten cuts for the season and is struggling with
his game for a long time. He almost bid farewell to golf in 2005 and went over to work as a bartender in his home town in Ontario for two long years.
McQuillan was speaking to reporters, “I'm out here playing with the best players in the world and on the best golf courses in the world. So it's very tough to stay positive and patient. But I just figure I'm out here, I qualified to get out here, so I'm
trying to have fun and make some birdies.”
Love posted a near-perfect round of seven-under, 64 in his bogey-free round to stay in contention for the $4.5-million event. Steve Stricker, the defending champion who is looking for a Three-Peat in the tournament, scored five-under, 66 to finish for a
joint seventh.
Some of the other high profile players in the event, world number seven Jason Day, finished for a joint 19th after his round of four-under, 67. Louis Oosthuizen, the defending champion of next week’s Open Championship, who is primarily playing
in the tournament for his love of the tractor manufacturer John Deere, posted a round of even-par, 71 on one of the easiest courses on the tour.
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