Poston fires 62, leads Deere by 2
SILVIS, Ill. — J.T. Poston shot a 9-under 62 on Thursday to take a twostroke lead in the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic.
Coming off a secondplace tie last week in Connecticut after also opening with a 62, Poston eagled the par-5 second and had seven birdies in a bogeyfree round at TPC Deere Run.
“It’s, obviously, why you practice and why you work as hard as you do on your game,” Poston said. “Any time you can have those rounds where you really get it going low and mistake-free, bogey-free is a bonus. It’s why you work at it and why you practice the way we do.”
Canadian Michael Gligic was second at 64, playing bogey-free in the final group of the day off the first tee.
“It was nice,” Gligic said. “Just kind of hit ball where I was looking. Gave myself lots of looks. I think I only missed one green and was able to make a few putts.”
Vaughn Taylor and Christopher Gotterup followed at 65. Ricky Barnes, Denny McCarthy, Chris Naegel and Dylan Frittelli shot 66.
“Been struggling a little bit physically and haven’t been putting very well,” Taylor said. “But coming into here I told myself, ‘You know, I know this course, how to play it. Just go do it.’ That’s kind of how I did today. Just tried not to think about too much and just play golf.”
Poston won the 2019 Wyndham Championship for his lone PGA Tour title.
“I would say for the last few months it’s been in a good spot,” Poston said. “Just hadn’t quite seen the results. Then, Hilton Head I had a good week. Wells Fargo, good week. Last week, playing well. So I think it’s starting to kind of come together and see the results and see the shots and kind of building that confidence back into my ball- striking.”
Defending champion Lucas Glover shot 74.
LIV event tees off amid criticism
The Saudi Arabiabacked LIV Golf tour’s second event teed off in North Plains, Ore., angering a group of families who lost loved ones on Sept. 11 and want the Saudi government held to account for the terrorist attacks.
About 10 family members and survivors spoke at a small park honoring veterans in tiny North Plains, home to Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.
The LIV Golf series, funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, was making its first stop on American soil this week after a debut this month outside of London.
Carlos Ortiz took the lead Thursday with a 5-under 67. Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters winner, was a shot back.
Fox flawless after 64 in Irish Open
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox was surprised to find himself leading the Irish Open in Thomastown, Ireland, after the opening round, despite his impressive form this season.
Fox had eight birdies, including seven in his last 11 holes, in a flawless 8under 64 at Mount Juliet. He has a one-shot lead over Frederic Lacroix, Jorge Campillo, Fabrizio Zanotti and Marcel Schneider.
Fox, who lost a playoff for the 2018 Irish Open to Scotland’s Russell Knox, won the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in February, finished runner-up in the Soudal Open and Dutch Open and was third in the BMW International on Sunday.
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington shot a 2-under 70 just days after his victory in the US Senior Open.