It was Doug Ghim who catapulted himself to the top of the leaderboard by shooting a sensational 9-under 62. This magnificent feat occurred on the first round of this year’s John Deere Classic. With his strong performance he earned a one-stroke lead in front of tour stars Max Homa and Austin Eckroat. He did it most dramatically in TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois. During his stellar play highlighted by an eagle on the par-4 sixth hole, the 2018 NCAA individual champion showed off his shotmaking and precision ability.
Ghim’s day stood out for its lack of drama, as he successfully excluded bogeys from his scorecard with remarkable ease on Wednesday. He had just given an excellent performance, but he was uncomfortable and uncertain about whether his score would hold up as the best score of the day by the day’s end. “Honestly, any time you can get to 20 under or better you’re going to have a chance,” Ghim remarked, highlighting his focus on maintaining a competitive edge throughout the tournament.
Max Homa, who on Monday was ranked No. 8 in world, came out of the gates firing. At one point he made an awesome run of four straight birdies! Homa created some really solid momentum as the round went on. He stumbled when he missed the last green at No. 9, which dropped him one shot back of Ghim. Homa’s had a tough go of things since achieving his career-high ranking, but has stayed positive and focused on finding his way back to form.
Austin Eckroat got in on the act, too, making an eagle on the second and fifth holes to help him shoot a round of 61. And he did it in dramatic fashion with a fantastic eagle on the par-4 fifth hole. With a gap wedge, he holed out from 137 yards to make par! Eckroat’s steady play continued to leave him in close striking distance as he looked to build off an early hot streak.
The competition at the John Deere Classic remains fierce, with Michael Kim making headlines by opening with a 9-under 62. Kim’s dazzling 7-under round ties him with Ghim for the best first round from a past champion. He had previously won the tournament in 2018 and finished an astounding 27-under 257, eight strokes clear of the field.
As the tournament progresses, players will need to maintain their focus and consistency to navigate the challenges posed by TPC Deere Run’s layout. Ghim highlighted the need to drive the ball straight and temper expectations while playing on the PGA Tour. It’s still golf and it’s still hard,” he said. You’re supposed to hit the fairways, and I was able to hit a lot of those today. So my personal goal is to film at least 6 a day and just find out where that gets me.
With Ghim just a stroke up, all eyes will be on how Homa and Eckroat play the next three days. Both players know as well as anyone that one solid round can swing the momentum on the leaderboard in an instant.
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