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Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Max Homa goes low but Doug Ghim paces 2025 John Deere Classic after posting a 62
SILVIS, Ill. —The John Deere Classic typically yields some of the lowest scores of any event on the PGA Tour, and based on early results in Thursday's first round, the 2025 rendition won't be any different. Max Homa fired an 8-under 63, his best opening-round score since the 2023 Genesis Invitational. He joined Austin Eckroat in a tie for second early Thursday afternoon. Advertisement "I played well," Homa said. "Holed a lot of putts, but still didn't feel like I did one thing that carried me. It felt like everything was really good. Kept it in front of me. Was rarely in a bad spot, whether it's off the tee or around the greens. Obviously having a hot putter helps. Even with that, I did a lot to shoot a low number." Max Homa of the United States looks on from the 13th tee during the first round of the John Deere Classic 2025 at TPC Deere Run on July 03, 2025 in Silvis, Illinois. A low round to start the week is always a good thing, but Homa – who made headlines Wednesday when he used a choice word to describe the negativity of social media -- knows it'll take a lot more of what he did Thursday to hoist a trophy on Sunday. Twelve of the last 15 winners at the John Deere Classic have finished at 20 under or better. Davis Thompson won at 28 under last year. Advertisement "Just have to keep playing," Homa said. "Patience is very important even when scores are really low. Look at a round like Rickie played today. He said a couple blips early and then found his swing again shot a really low number. So as much as it always feels like a track meet in your head, you look at that and it's important to stay within yourself and stay patient, because you can birdie any hole out here." Homa, Fowler and Jake Knapp played together Thursday (and will again Friday), starting on No. 10. Fowler made double-bogey on the 12th and bogey on the 14th before firing a 6-under 29 on the second nine to finish with a 65. Knapp shot 3-under 68. "I'm super lucky to have a group like that," Homa said. "Two of my closest buddies out here. I've known Rick and Jake forever. Three SoCal guys in the same group and everybody started making a lot birdies, so that was fun." But it was Doug Ghim who paced the morning wave with a 9-under 62 at TPC Deere Run – the lowest round of his seven-year career on Tour. The 29-year-old Chicago-area native is feeling comfortable just a few hours away from his hometown. Advertisement "Any time I come to the Midwest in general it's the style I am used to," Ghim said. "I grew up playing tree-lined and bent rough, bent greens. It's always a welcome sight to come to Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan." It could have been even lower, too. His second shot on the par-5 17th ended up on a part of the green that required him to chip it over the edge of a bunker that juts out onto the putting surface. He ultimately made par. Ghim shot 5-under 30 on the outward nine, which included a hole-out eagle from 91 yards on the par-4 6th hole. He finished with a 32 on the back, culminating in a round void of bogeys that gave him the clubhouse lead just after noon on Thursday. Doug Ghim of the United States lines up a putt on the 12th green during the first round of the John Deere Classic 2025 at TPC Deere Run on July 03, 2025 in Silvis, Illinois. "I had to chip it off a green on 17 so probably hurt the stats," Ghim said. "Didn't get it up-and-down because I had to come over the corner of the bunker. So obviously statistically it will look worse than probably it was. Honestly, hit it so close all day. I probably didn't gain much any time I tapped in for birdie. I two putted for birdie a couple times. That's just the way the stats go sometimes. Advertisement Unlike Homa, who totaled 114 feet in putts made, Ghim shot 62 but made just 44 feet in putts. He was throwing darts all day, cashing in seven birdies, only one of which required him to make a putt longer than 10 feet. And of course, he didn't even need the flatstick on No. 6. "I hit it really well. Holed out a wedge. I mean, honestly, anytime you can shoot 9-under and not really make a putt it's always a good sign." Ghim, along with Ryan Palmer and Ryo Hisatsune, will tee off at 1:16 p.m. ET for Friday's second round at TPC Deere Run, while Homa, Fowler and Knapp will start at 2 p.m. ET. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: John Deere Classic 2025: Doug Ghim leads, Homa goes low early Thursday
Arab News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Doug Ghim leads John Deere as Max Homa, Rickie Fowler also go low
SILVIS, Illinois: Doug Ghim made an eagle from the sixth fairway en route to a bogey-free, 9-under par 62 on Thursday to set the firs round lead at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Ghim made four of his seven birdies on the inward nine at TPC Deere Run to head to the clubhouse with a one-shot lead over Max Homa and Austin Eckroat. There have been nine first-time winners on the PGA Tour this season, and Ghim, a 29-year-old native of Illinois, is trying to become the 10th. 'Obviously any win on the PGA Tour is amazing. To do it here would be awesome,' Ghim said. 'There is a lot of golf to be played and I probably won't even be leading by the end of the day. We'll see.' Ghim chipped in for birdie at the opening hole and was 2 under through two before arriving at the short par-4 sixth hole. He had a 91-yard shot to the front pin location and played it perfectly to card an eagle 2. 'There are times like earlier in my career that you try to go out and shoot a 62,' Ghim said. 'Not to say that we're not trying to shoot 62 every day, but you kind of have it let to come to you.' Homa had his best round of 2025 after struggling with his game throughout the first six months of the season. He was in line for a 62 of his own before making his only bogey at his last hole, the par-4 ninth. 'I just did everything really solid. I made a ton of putts. Kept the driver in good spots,' said Homa, who has been balky off the tee this season but hit 10 of 14 fairways in regulation Thursday. 'Got to take advantage of my iron play, my wedge play. 'Always feels good to get off to a good start when you're struggling, that's for sure.' Eckroat eagled two of his first five holes, first sinking an 11-foot putt at the par-5 second and then holing out from 137 yards at the fifth. Eckroat was proud that he didn't get too far ahead of himself. 'It was a little too early to go nuts, but it was still — threw my hands up in the air. Had fun,' he said. 'If it was late on Sunday, probably been more of a reaction for sure.' Four players were tied at 7-under 64: David Lipsky, Sam Stevens, Justin Lower and past John Deere champion Michael Kim. Rickie Fowler posted a 6-under 65 that featured a 29 on his second nine, the front nine. He eagled No. 2 from 103 yards out and added three straight birdies at Nos. 5-7. He was part of a large tie that included Matt Kuchar, Si Woo Kim of South Korea and Emiliano Grillo of Argentina. Defending champ Davis Thompson opened with a 3-under 68. Australian Jason Day struggled to a 3-over 74.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ghim leads PGA Tour John Deere Classic, Homa one adrift
American Doug Ghim plays a shot on the way to the first-round lead in the US PGA Tour John Deere Classic in Illinois (ANDY LYONS) Doug Ghim holed out for an eagle on the way to a bogey-free nine-under par 62 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead over Max Homa and Austin Eckroat at the US PGA Tour John Deere Classic in Illinois. Ghim, without a win in 162 PGA Tour starts, holed out from 91 yards out in the fairway at the par-four sixth hole at TPC Deere Run, where he's hoping he can become the 25th player to claim a first tour title in the event. Advertisement The 29-year-old, who added seven birdies, knows he'll have to keep going low to have a chance on Sunday, with another 15 players within three shots of the lead after the first round. "Honestly, any time you can get to 20-under or better, you're going to have a chance," he said. "It's still golf. It's still a challenge. You have to hit fairways -- I hit a lot of them today. "So just trying to shoot forwards of six-under every day and see where that puts me." His closest pursuers are Homa -- who had nine birdies and a bogey -- and Eckroat, who had two eagles on the front nine and four birdies to share second on eight-under 63. Advertisement Homa, a former world number eight and a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, is trying to fight his way out of a slump that has seen him post just one top-25 finish this season. He teed off on 10 and reeled off four straight birdies at 11, 12, 13 and 14. He'd added five more and was tied with Ghim for the lead before a closing bogey at the ninth, where he was unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker. "I just did everything really solid," Homa said. "I made a ton of putts, kept the driver in good spots, got to take advantage of my iron play, my wedge play. "(It) always feels good to get off to a good start when you're struggling, that's for sure," Homa said. Advertisement Eckroat, who claimed both of his PGA Tour titles in 2024, has also struggled this year but said his game has been trending in the right direction recently. He opened with a birdie at the first, and made an 11-foot eagle putt at the par-five second. He holed ouot from the fairway for eagle at the par-four fifth and added three birdies on the back nine. "It's great to have some confidence on the golf course," Eckroat said. "That's the big thing for the most part, confidence level is high. The ball striking is great today. Holed one out, hit some close... just fun to be in that position." Advertisement Americans David Lipsky, Sam Stevens, Justin Lower and Michael Kim shared fourth on seven-under par 64 with another nine players tied on six-under 65 -- a group that included Rickie Fowler and South Korean Kim Si-woo. bb/jgc
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Doug Ghim sets pace at John Deere Classic with a 62 and the early lead
SILVIS, Ill. — Doug Ghim holed out for eagle on the par-4 sixth hole and kept bogeys off his card on a day of low scoring Thursday. He opened with a 9-under 62 in a bid to become the latest first-time PGA Tour winner at the John Deere Classic. Ghim had a one-shot lead over Max Homa and Austin Eckroat among early starters at the TPC Deere Run, where the winning score has been 20-under par or lower 12 of the last 15 years.
Associated Press
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Doug Ghim sets pace at John Deere Classic with a 62 and the early lead
SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Doug Ghim holed out for eagle on the par-4 sixth hole and kept bogeys off his card on a day of low scoring Thursday. He opened with a 9-under 62 in a bid to become the latest first-time PGA Tour winner at the John Deere Classic. Ghim had a one-shot lead over Max Homa and Austin Eckroat among early starters at the TPC Deere Run, where the winning score has been 20-under par or lower 12 of the last 15 years. He has been around long enough — six years on the PGA Tour, 160 tour starts as a pro — to know it's only a start. The conditions were so ideal Ghim wasn't even sure his 62 would hold up as the lead by the end of the day. 'Honestly, any time you can get to 20 under or better you're going to have a chance,' Ghim said. 'It's still golf. It's still a challenge. You have to hit fairways. I hit a lot of them today. So just trying to shoot forwards of 6 under every day and see where that puts me.' The John Deere Classic has produced 24 first-time winners, the most of any PGA Tour event since 1970, a list that included Davis Thompson last year, Bryson DeChambeau in 2017 and Jordan Spieth in 2013. Homa and Eckroat have won before, and both are trying to rediscover their games. Homa gets the most attention, particularly since he played in the last Ryder Cup and reached No. 8 in the world until going into a slump that includes new equipment, a new coach and new caddie. Eckroat won twice in 2024 but it has been a struggle this year. He ended last year at No. 35 in the world and now is at No. 75, leaving him out of the last two majors. He has yet to finish in the top 10 in 19 starts this year. Homa ran off four straight birdies early and was tied with Ghim for the lead until he missed his final green at No. 9 into a bunker and failed to get up-and-down, his only bogey of the round. Eckroat had a pair of eagles, one on the par-5 second with a shot to 12 feet, the other when he holed out with a gap wedge from 137 yards on the par-4 fifth hole. Scoring was so low that 14 players from the morning wave were at 65 or better. Michael Kim and Sam Stevens were part of the group at 64. Kim was one of those first-time winners in 2018 when he finished at 27-under 257 to win by eight shots. And then he regressed in the worst way, even going back to the Korn Ferry Tour, before connecting with swing coach Sean Foley and turning his game around. Kim and Stevens are among players who could use a good tournament to improve their world ranking, which will be used next week as the alternate list for the British Open. Kim is at No. 55 in the world and would appear to be in reasonable shape. It would be Kim's first time playing all four majors in the same year. ___ AP golf:
