SILVIS, Ill. — Lucas Glover kept another clean sheet with a 12-foot par putt on his final hole for a 6-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead Friday at the John Deere Classic.
Glover started at No. 10 in the afternoon and did most of the damage on the back nine with five birdies, although just as important was going bogey-free through 36 holes.
His score was 14-under 128, two shots ahead of Lee Hodges (66) and another shot ahead of Zach Blair, who made a perfect 68 on the final hole of the TPC Deere Run.
In a tournament that focused so much on youth, the focus shifted to some veterans. Glover is 46 years old and first joined the PGA Tour before the likes of Jackson Koivun, NCAA champion Preston Stout and 18-year-old Blades Brown were born.
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Before Glover scored in the second round, 50-year-old Zach Johnson shot 70 to set the early target. Johnson, who will miss this week’s U.S. Senior Open because Deer has always been a local event for the Iowa native, finished 11th, six shots back.
Glover’s three-year exemption from winning back-to-back tournaments in late summer 2023 expires this year, so this could be a big week for him. Again, he’s been around so long that all he cares about is playing good golf.
“Honestly, I’m too old to be chasing this,” Glover said. “I just want to play. I just wanted to play well again and I fought. Two days like this give me some faith that everything is okay, you know? I worked hard on this but didn’t get much results within two days. Tomorrow means nothing. Sunday means nothing.
“But in these first two days, my work paid off. I have a couple more days to keep fighting and keep doing it.”
Glover got off to a stellar start through five holes, with each of his shots hitting the green 8 feet or closer. He converted three of them for birdie and hit his tee shot at the par-3 16th to 2 feet.
Hodges made a pair of 8-foot par putts on the final three holes to stay within striking distance.
Koivun, a top college player who was the world’s No. 1 amateur, missed his pro debut two weeks after sharing low amateur honors at the U.S. Open.
The best results among youth were shown by Stout and Brown.
Stout, who has become the world’s No. 1 amateur now that Koivun has turned professional, was forced to take a penalty on the 18th hole and made bogey for a 69. He was level at 7-under 135 with Brown (66).
Brown turned pro while he was still in high school, graduating in January and has already earned a special provisional membership on the PGA Tour while inching closer to the tour card with his participation on the Korn Ferry Tour. Brown also showed no fear on the weekend, making a par of 7 feet on his final hole.
The final score was 3-under 141, and Jordan Spieth made the cut. He was outside with a three-shot lead until three birdies in the five-hole stretch on the back nine gave him a 69.