The 54-hole leaderboard at the John Deere Classic, where reigning winner J.T. Poston is still one of 15 men who will start Sunday’s round within four strokes of the lead, is “slam packed,” according to Poston.
Notably, five of those fifteen went back to the cozy but secluded Airbnb rental house they had been sharing this week, which was only a few miles from TPC Deere Run.
It is the same house where Poston and a comparable number of guys lived last year.
Among the housemates this year are Denny McCarthy, who is in a group tied for second, one shot behind the leader; Poston and Chris Kirk, who are in a large eight-person group tied for sixth, three shots back; and Sepp Straka and Greyson Sigg, who tied for 14th on Saturday, four shots behind the third-round leader.
Brendon Todd, who last year was a member of the frat-house crowd at the isolated Geneseo home, is the leader.
“My family arrived from Tuesday to Thursday. I arranged for us to stay in a hotel in Moline since I didn’t want to subject them to the house’s excess.” Todd said while laughing.
When asked about what set of people whose success is guaranteed at the John Deere Classic, “a number of competent golfers with proficient strokes” he said.
That accurately sums up the crammed field that will compete for the winner’s portion of the $7.4 million prize pool and 500 FedEx Cup points on Sunday.
Todd, a three-time PGA TOUR champion, finished with three birdies during a four-hole run on the backside to finish with a round of 5-under 66 on Saturday at Deere Run.
McCarthy matched that total, in large part because of a drive on the 14th par-4 hole’s eagle putt that was 29 feet, 10 inches long. Alex Smalley, who played a 9-under 62 on Saturday, which was the best round by three strokes, and Adam Schenk, who started the day in second position but moved into the lead after a birdie-eagle start, are tied for second place.
The previously unknown Peter Kuest, who is in fifth place alone, is competing for a second consecutive week after qualifying on Monday for the Rocket Mortgage Classic field in Detroit last week and placing fifth.
T. Poston and Lucas Glover, previous Deere winners, are tied for sixth place in that large eight-man group. The leader of the second round Cameron Young is one of them. Young, the top-ranked golfer in the competition at number 19, had a wild Saturday with four birdies, two bogeys, and a heartbreaking double at hole 18 for a round of even-par 71.
Young, who won Rookie of the Year last year, is still very much in contention for his first TOUR victory and is only three shots back of Todd.
Everything is in place for the thrilling Sunday conclusion that Deere Run has come to expect.
“It’s really jam-packed from top to bottom on the leaderboard. Therefore, someone will need to perform really well tomorrow.” Poston said.
Todd didn’t take anything for granted after grabbing the lead on the 16th par 3 with a 45-foot, 7-inch birdie putt.
“Simply focus on making birdies. Tomorrow, I will most definitely not have a defense,” he said.
Although there are 23 former champions, including five since 2013, who have won for the first time at the Deere, Todd has prior winning experience to draw from.
Nine of these 15 will attempt to increase their totals to 24 and 6.
Included are Schenk and McCarthy, who both entered the tournament as favorites and have previously competed on a number of Sundays this year.
In his sixth season on the TOUR, Schenk is having a breakout year. He has two runner-up results, including a playoff defeat at the Charles Swab Challenge, as well as two additional top 10s. One of the latter attended the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week. He had prior success at Deere Run and is prepared to win. He is currently ranked 26th in the FedEx Cup Standings.
“I can already feel it coming. Even though I’m playing some excellent golf, I keep finding myself in this predicament. Golf competition victory is not simple. Many of the top men here make it seem extremely simple, but it’s not. In addition to playing excellent golf, a lot of other things need to go your way. I haven’t experienced it yet, but I know it will.” he said.
That residence next to Deere Run might be one thing working in his favor.
It has already produced one champion. And Poston, who prevailed from start to finish a year ago, isn’t giving up his Deere crown easily.
“Of course, I have some happy recollections, and I am confident in my ability to play well and go low out here. I’ve already done it. I’ll just have to try it again to see if I can.” he said.
He wasn’t prepared for a stressful Saturday night with all of the remaining housemates hoping to win on Sunday.
“I was in the lead and Denny was in second place last year. We’re all close pals. No odd hostility or anything like that exists; we all want to beat each other. Everyone is aware that you must go out and complete the task; otherwise, you should be glad for your friend.” Poston said.
