Wheatcroft leads the pack after sizzling 62

Steve Wheatcroft shot a careerbest 9-under 62 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead in the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill.

Wheatcroft birdied seven of the last nine holes to finish a shot ahead of Michael Kim. Johnson Wagner, Nick Taylor, Andres Romero and Joel Dahmen shot opening-round 64s. Francesco Molinari, who won the Quicken Loans National two weeks ago, was among a group of players three strokes back.

Wheatcroft hasn’t had a top-10 finish this season, and he’s 209th in the FedEx Cup standings. But Wheatcroft caught fire on the back nine, finishing with six straight birdies – including a 13-foot putt on the par-4 18th – for just his third round in the 60s this season.

Wheatcroft’s previous best scores on the PGA Tour were 64s at the 2012 Greenbrier Classic and the 2016 Canadian Open.

Zach Johnson shot 69 and threetime John Deere winner Steve Stricker of Madison finished at 1under 70.

Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, the highest-ranked player in the field, withdrew because of a right shoulder injury.

Champions Tour: Kenny Perry and Mike Small shot 7-under 65s to share a one-stroke lead in the first round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship in Highland Park, Ill.

Bart Bryant, Glen Day and 2015 U.S. Senior Open champion Jeff Maggert were one stroke back in the fourth of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions schedule.

Defending champion Scott McCarron was in a pack at 5 under, while three-time Senior Players winner Bernhard Langer and Vijay Singh were another shot back at Exmoor Country Club.

Madison’s Jerry Kelly opened with a 69.

Women’s U.S. Senior Open: Elaine Crosby shot a 3-under-par 70 for the lead after the first round of the inaugural tournament in Wheaton, Ill.

The 60-year-old Crosby owns a one-shot advantage over Trish Johnson, Laura Davies and Liselotte Neumann.

Sheboygan native Martha Nause had a 74 and Appleton native Sue Ginter shot an 83.

LPGA Tour: Thidapa Suwannapura shot a 6-under-par 65 to take the first-round lead at the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.

Seven players, including defending champion I.K. Kim and Yani Tseng, were a stroke behind at 66.

Sei Young Kim, who shot an LPGA Tour record 31-under 257 last week, was four shots back.