Vegas surges to John Deere lead with second-round 62
Jhonattan Vegas shot a 9-under 62 on Friday in the John Deere Classic to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend at Silvis, Illinois.
Off since missing the cuts in the Memorial and U.S. Open in June, the three-time PGA tour winner from Venezuela said he “found something really good” on the range Thursday after an opening 67.
“Probably the best I’ve felt all year, to be honest,” Vegas said. “I hit the ball extremely well, kind of what I’ve been struggling with a little bit the past few months. It felt really good, in control the whole time with the ball-striking, which is my type of game. So
I’m glad that stuff is back.”
Vegas had a 13-under 129 total at TPC Deere Run.
“It’s usually soft, and it’s been a little firmer because of the conditions, obviously a little warm,” Vegas said. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen it. The greens are perfect. The fairways are rolling more. It’s actually a little bit tricky because a lot of the fairways, as undulated as they are, you have to be a little careful with some of those run-outs.”
He last won on the tour in 2017 at the Canadian Open.
Andrew Landry was second after his second 65. He birdied the first three holes on his second nine, then played the next six in 1 over with a bogey on the par-4 sixth hole.
Lucas Glover had an albatross on the par-5 10th in a 64 that got him to 11 under. He holed out with a 3-iron from 255 yards after a 318-yard drive.
TOUR CHAMPIONS
Retief Goosen shot an 8-under 62 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, the fourth of the PGA Tour Champions’ five major tournaments.
After returning in the morning to birdie the 18th for a 69 in the rain-delayed first round, Goosen made an 8-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second hole in the second round and added six birdies in the bogeyfree round at Firestone Country Club at Akron, Ohio.
Playing partner Steve Stricker, the first-round leader after a 64 that he completed with a birdie in the morning, had a 70 to drop into a tie for second with Brandt Jobe.
LPGA
Sei Young Kim shot a 7-under 64 to take a onestroke lead over U.S. Women’s Open champ Jeongeun Lee6 in the Marathon Classic at Sylvania, Ohio.
Kim had four consecutive birdies on Nos. 3-6 and also birdied the par-4 12th and 15th holes and the par-5 18th to get to 11under 131 at Highland Meadows Golf Club. The South Korean player has eight tour titles.
Lee6 shot her second consecutive 66. The South Korean birdied two of the last three holes.
Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis and Jennifer Kupcho were 9 under. Kupcho shot 66, Thompson 67, and Lewis 68.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Bernd Wiesberger carded a 10-under 61 to move into a three-way tie for the lead in the Scottish Open after the second round to stand out in another glut of low scores at The Renaissance Club.
The lowest round of Wiesberger’s career on the European Tour lifted him alongside England’s Lee Slattery and South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen, who shot consecutive 64s to be at 14 under. They were two strokes ahead of Henrik Stenson and Nino Bertasio. Stenson remained bogey-free after a second 65, while Bertasio dropped a shot on his last hole.
GIRLS JUNIOR PGA
Yuka Saso of the Philippines rallied to win the Girls Junior PGA Championship at Harford, Connecticut, closing with a 3-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Jensen Castle of South Carolina, who also shot a final-round 67.