A Red, White, Blue Leaderboard on America's 250th Birthday
On America's 250th birthday, the John Deere Classic leaderboard waved red, white, and blue in a way few could have scripted. Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges finished the third round at 16-under par 197, sharing the lead atop a packed board that includes another 16 players within five shots — all but one of those American-bred.
That sets the stage for a final-round Sunday shootout to follow Saturday night's Fourth of July fireworks at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.
Glover Predicted the Shootout
Glover, the 2021 John Deere champion, has held or shared the lead since Thursday. He made no secret of what was coming.
“It's always a shootout here,” Glover said. “That's the way it should be. It's fun. It's exciting. I told you guys when I finished Thursday, I was going to need three more low ones, so yeah.”
Glover, 46, sits at No. 119 in the FedExCup standings and will be chasing a seventh TOUR title. His career total already includes the 2009 U.S. Open and that 2021 John Deere victory.
The Chasers Behind the Co-Leaders
After an hour-plus delay, Glover and Hodges finished the day a shot clear of the third-place trio of Jackson Suber, Ben Kohles, and Zac Blair. Doug Ghim sat another shot behind at 14-under, with two-time major champion Zach Johnson trailing by only three.
Behind them, a quartet sits four back, and seven more players will start Sunday within five of the lead. Only one non-American remains inside the top 19: Japan's Ryo Hisatsune.
Hisatsune Carries the International Flag
The John Deere Classic featured 144 men this week, including 43 international competitors from 21 nations, all chasing the $1.58 million winner's purse and 500 FedExCup points. Yet by the time Carrie Underwood hit the first note of her post-round concert in America's Heartland, Hisatsune stood alone among the international contingent near the top.
Hisatsune brings real star cred. He has four top-10 finishes in 2026, including a share of second at the Farmers Insurance Open, and he'll be looking to bolster his No. 43 standing in the FedExCup race.
Storylines Galore on Sunday
Zach Johnson's Ageless Pursuit
Johnson, a TPC Deere Run magician, will bid to become the ninth over-50 winner in TOUR history. He trails by only three shots after 54 holes.
Preston Stout's Amateur Quest
Reigning NCAA champion and top-ranked amateur Preston Stout — a Texan and rising senior at Oklahoma State — fired a 5-under 66 to work his way into the fray. He'll look to become the ninth amateur ever to notch a TOUR victory.
Stout, who turns a year older on Monday, was soaking in the Fourth of July atmosphere.
“It's awesome,” he said of the buzz. “You know, it's my favorite holiday. My birthday is on Monday. There's been a good crowd out here, too, supporting everybody, which has been great. Yeah, the Fourth of July is awesome. Our country is the best. So, yeah, I thought I had to rep them a little today.”
Stout is tied for eighth at 12-under alongside six-time TOUR winners Max Homa and Rickie Fowler.
Blades Brown Chasing Teenage History
The 11-under group includes four-time winner Chris Gotterup — the top-ranked player in the field at No. 14 in the OWGR — and 19-year-old Blades Brown. Brown turned professional out of high school, earned special temporary membership with a pair of top-10 finishes, and will be looking to become the sixth teen to win on TOUR, and the first since Jordan Spieth broke through at the 2013 John Deere.
Experience vs. Aggression
Hodges, a 31-year-old Alabama native ranked No. 123 in the FedExCup race, won the 2023 3M Open. He knows the final round will require a different mindset than his last victory.
“It will be different tomorrow,” Hodges said. “At 3M, I think I took a five-shot lead into Sunday. You hate to say 'holding on,' but I was kind of holding on. Tomorrow will be a little more fun. I get to go attack and just beat people. I'm just going to keep my pedal down and just shoot lower than anybody tomorrow.”
Glover agreed that aggression is the only approach that will work.
“You've got to go low or you're not going to win,” Glover said. “Everybody is going to have to be aggressive.”
Both co-leaders have winning experience on TOUR, unlike their four closest pursuers. But as the article notes, experience helps but won't get the ball in the hole or the leaping deer trophy in their hands on Sunday.
Fireworks await.
