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Lucas Glover on bogey
Lucas Glover remains firmly in contention at the John Deere Classic after another steady performance at TPC Deere Run left him tied for the lead entering Sunday’s final round. The six-time PGA Tour winner shares first place at 16-under with Lee Hodges after carding a third-round 69, while a crowded leaderboard featuring Zac Blair, Ben Kohles, Jackson Suber and Doug Ghim keeps the title race wide open.
Earlier in the week, Glover opened with rounds of 63 and 65 to seize control of the tournament before grinding through a challenging Saturday that included an early eagle, a late birdie and his first bogey of the week. With nine players within four shots of the lead, Glover acknowledged there will be no conservative approach if he wants to capture his second John Deere Classic title.
Lucas Glover Explains Aggressive Mindset for John Deere Classic Finale
Before the third round, Glover held a two-shot advantage at 14-under without making a bogey all week. Having won the John Deere Classic at 19-under in 2021, he also understood that scoring conditions at TPC Deere Run typically demand even lower numbers. Twelve of the past 15 champions have finished at 20-under or better.
That reality shaped his outlook heading into the weekend.
“Good and well that it’s gonna take a lot more. So there’s not gonna be any hanging on. Pedal’s gotta be down, stay aggressive,” Glover said.
He added that attacking golf gives him greater confidence than defending a lead.
“I like that mindset versus, say, trying to hang on and just make pars a bunch. It’s easier to sleep on a lead that way would be the best way I know to say it. When you know that you have to play like I played yesterday and today to even have a chance.”
After Saturday’s round, Glover reiterated that low scoring would again be essential.
“You pretty much know you’ve got to go low or you’re not going to win,” he said. “Everybody is going to have to be aggressive, so I’ve got to hit it a little better tomorrow to achieve the ultimate goal.”
Despite making just two birdies on Saturday, Glover remained tied atop the leaderboard with Lee Hodges at 16-under 197. Zac Blair, Ben Kohles and Jackson Suber sit one shot back at 15-under, while Doug Ghim is another stroke behind. Zach Johnson, Max Homa, Preston Stout and Ryo Hisatsune remain within striking distance entering the final round.
Lucas Glover Supports PGA Tour’s New Two-Series Model
GettyLucas Glover of the United States
Away from tournament competition, Glover also addressed the PGA Tour’s future as chairman of the Player Advisory Council.
In a video shared on X by the PGA Tour on July 4, Glover voiced his support for the Tour’s planned two-series structure, set to launch in 2028.
“For a couple hundred member organisation, change is always difficult to get our arms around,” Glover said. “But I think for what we’re trying to do and what we’ve been told we need to do, I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
The new format, first reported by Sports Business Journal and later confirmed by PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, will divide players into Championship and Challenger Series.
Glover acknowledged that several details remain unresolved, but emphasized that the announcement was only the beginning of the process.
“We got this foundation laid really, really, really early for a reason, and that is to get it to market and then iron out all these details and make it easy to understand, easy to follow for the fans, easy to follow for the players,” he said.
He also defended the need for change despite differing opinions among players.
“Change is hard but sometimes necessary, and I think it was shown to us that it’s necessary,” Glover said. “The end-all, be-all goal here was to put the best PGA Tour possible into everybody’s mind and television and golf course in 2028.”
Those comments came as Glover continues to balance his leadership role off the course with another opportunity to add a seventh PGA Tour victory. With a share of the lead entering Sunday and a tightly packed leaderboard behind him, he will need another aggressive round to secure the John Deere Classic title.
Debayan Biswas Debayan Biswas is a sports writer at Heavy Sports covering NBA, NFL, Soccer, and Golf. His work has been syndicated on Yahoo Sports, Yardbarker, Flipboard, The Sun News, and The Olympian. Previously, he contributed to Athlon Sports, EssentiallySports, and PFSN. More about Debayan Biswas
