Lucas Glover shot a final-round 65 to win the John Deere Classic for his first PGA Tour title in three years.
Lucas Glover ended a title drought at the John Deere Classic on Sunday. Glover won his first PGA Tour event since 2014, beating out Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson in a playoff.
SILVIS, ILLINOIS – With a one-shot lead and four holes to play, Lucas Glover made his third consecutive birdie and realized he might win the John Deere Classic.
But this was not the time to consider breaking a 10-year drought without a PGA Tour trophy. The air was too clean and gentle. There were just too many birdies to be made, and there were far too many players in his way.
“‘Push, push, push,’ urged Glover. “And I believe it prevented me from being comfortable, or too jittery, because I knew it was going to take a lot more below par.”
He closed with five birdies in his last seven holes for a 7-under 64 and a two-shot win on Sunday, breaking a streak of 244 starts since his previous triumph at Quail Hollow in May 2011.
“Glover remarked, “I sensed excellent golf coming.” “I had no idea how excellent I was.”
It had to be winning at TPC Deere Run, where the greens were soft after the rain but still as smooth as silk, ideal for birdies.
Glover was stuck in a stalemate with 25 players separated by three strokes at one point. Someone had to come out of the woodwork, and it turned out to be him.
It all began on the par-3 12th hole with a 15-foot birdie putt. On the following two holes, he hammered his approach into 4 feet and 7 feet, respectively, before flushing a 7-iron to 3 feet on the 15th hole to grab the lead.
Glover capped up his day with a 12-foot birdie on the par-5 17th and a 6-foot putt to preserve par from the 18th bunker, which he knew would come in handy.
Lucas Glover closed with five birdies in his last seven holes for a 7-under 64 and a two-shot win, breaking a streak of 244 starts since his previous triumph at Quail Hollow in May 2011. He remarked, “It’s been a long ten years.” “There have been some difficulties.” Icon Sportswire/Brian Spurlock
That was never the case. No one was able to apprehend him. He won with a score of 19-under 265 for his fourth PGA Tour win.
Kevin Na attempted to make a charge with three birdies in four holes until a bogey on the 15th slowed him down and he couldn’t make up enough distance. He made a 68 on the course. Ryan Moore finished in a tie for second place with a 68.
On the opening hole, Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, blasted a shank from an uncomfortable stance with the ball over his feet. He made bogey, which foreshadowed future difficulties. He finished in a tie for fourth place, three shots behind, with a 71.
Munoz stated, “It took me three holes to read just from that, and then I did a fantastic job from there.”
Adam Schenk (67), Luke List (68), and Scott Brown (69) all finished three strokes back (69).
Glover only felt pressure when he had time on his hands, such as when he waited 30 minutes to see if anybody could equal his score.
The victory qualifies him for the Masters and the PGA Championship, as well as allowing him to begin the year in Maui at the Tournament of Champions, where he will play a Kapalua course he hasn’t played since Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were freshmen in college.
“”I’ve always believed that nothing in this game is certain,” Glover remarked. “It may be simple one day and very difficult the next. Yes, it’s been a trying ten years, but I’ve never lost faith, never lost motivation, and never lost confidence in myself.
“It’s a fantastic sensation.”
With five holes to play, Schenk held a one-shot lead as he pursued his first PGA Tour win. He went right into a terrible lay in the deep, soggy rough on the reachable par-4 14th hole. He came up short of the green in deeper grass, chipped for 20 feet, and bogeyed.
Glover joined him on the course and added another birdie for a two-shot swing. Glover went on, and Schenk had to make do with pars.
Glover will be exempt on the PGA Tour until 2023 as a result of his win at the 50th edition of the John Deere Classic, which is noteworthy for a 41-year-old who had to compete in the Web.com Tour Finals in 2015 to reclaim his full card.
“It’s been a tumultuous ten years. ‘There have been some difficulties,’ Glover added. “I had a feeling it was in there. I needed to clear my head a little and just hit some strokes, play golf. I never gave up hope that I could accomplish it and win again. It’s always satisfying to be proven correct.”
Glover has previously qualified for the British Open after winning the Tour Championship in 2019. (the 2023 British Open was canceled by the pandemic). Moore was offered the lone seat at Royal St. George’s, but it was uncertain if he would accept it.
Related Tag
- lucas glover career earnings
