Wheatcroft’s 62 puts him atop John Deere
Steve Wheatcroft shot a career-best 9-under-par 62 on Thursday to take a oneshot lead in the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois.
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.
Zach Johnson shot 69 and three-time John Deere winner Steve Stricker finished at 1-under 70.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, the highest-ranked player in the field, withdrew because of a right shoulder injury.
DeChambeau, who won the Memorial Tournament earlier this season, first tweaked his shoulder on a shot Caroline Hedwall prepares to putt on the ninth green during the second round of the LPGA Marathon Classic in Sylvania. Hedwall was tied with Brooke Henderson for the lead at 9-under-par 133.
out of the rough on the second hole. He pulled out after an awkward tee shot on No. 16.
“Look, I’m 24. I’m not that old. But I’ve used my body quite a bit. I’ve hit a lot of golf balls,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve just got to take care of my body a little better.”
Wheatcroft hasn’t had a top-10 finish this season, and he is 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.
“I tried to keep the round going. I asked if we could just go to the first tee and start round two,” Wheatcroft said. “No, I don’t know if I’ve ever done that to finish a round. It was great. Yeah, I would just try to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Although he hasn’t done it on the PGA Tour, the 40-year-old Wheatcroft has a history of going low. He shot an 11-under 60 and set what was then the 72-hole Web.com Tour scoring record in his runaway 2011 victory at the Melwood Prince George’s County Open.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Robert Rock, ranked No. 244, set the record for the lowest 36-hole total since the Scottish Open was launched by the European Tour in 1972, adding a 7-under-par 63 in the second round Friday to his 64 on Day 1. He has made 13 birdies and not dropped a shot. Not only did it give him a twoshot lead at 13-under 127 at Gullane, it also gave him a great chance of earning one of the final qualification spots for the British Open just up the east coast of Scotland. Tyrrell Hatton (64) and Jens Dantorp (65) were the closest challengers to Rock. CHAMPIONS: Scott Parel grabbed a onestroke lead in the Senior Players Championship in Highland Park, Illinois, shooting a 6-under 66 in the second round to reach 11 under. Parel, 53, made seven birdies after starting the day two shots off the lead. Parel remained in the lead when Jeff Maggert three-putted from about 15 feet to bogey the par-4 18th. That left Maggert (68) tied with Brandt Jobe (67) at 10 under in the fourth of five majors on the tour’s schedule. LPGA: Brooke Henderson shot a bogey-free 5-under 66 to move into a tie for the lead after two rounds at the Marathon Classic in Sylvania. Henderson, 20, and Caroline Hedwall were at 9-under 133. “To finish birdie-birdie was really important, and it’s fun to see your name at the top,” Henderson said. “I’m excited to be in the final group.” Thidapa Suwannapura was one shot back.