
Doug Ghim sets pace at John Deere Classic with a 62 and a 1-shot lead
SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Doug Ghim holed out for eagle on the par-4 sixth hole and kept bogeys off his card on a day of low scoring Thursday. He opened with a 9-under 62 in a bid to become the latest first-time PGA Tour winner at the John Deere Classic.
Ghim had a one-shot lead over Max Homa and Austin Eckroat at the TPC Deere Run, where the winning score has been 20-under par or lower 12 of the last 15 years.
He has been around long enough — six years on the PGA Tour, 160 tour starts as a pro — to know it’s only a start. The conditions were so ideal Ghim wasn’t even sure his 62 would hold up as the lead by the end of the day.
With a little more wind in the afternoon, the best anyone could do was 65 by four players, including Cameron Champ and Mexico Open winner Brian Campbell.