Power chasing another top finish in John Deere Classic
Seamus Power is just three strokes outside the top 10 heading into the final round of the John Deere Classic in Ohio.
The West Waterford man got off to a fantastic start, making birdies at his first three holes and another at the sixth to move into the top five.
But he dropped three shots in a row from the ninth before calling with birdies at the 16th and 17th, carding a three-under 68 to share 22nd place on 10-under.
Colombia’s Sebastián Muñoz shot 67 to lead by one stroke on 16-under from Brandon Hagy with five players tied for third on 14-under.
Power is seeking his fifth top 20 in his last five starts and his third top 10 of the season after finishing tied ninth in the AT&T Byron Nelson and the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Third-Round Leaderboard
Sebastian Munoz 63-67-67—197 (-16)
Brandon Hagy 67-64-67—198 (-15)
Five players 199 (-14)
Things to Know
Sebastian Munoz in position for second career PGA TOUR title and fourth top-10 finish of the 2020-21 season
Brandon Hagy looks to become the fourth consecutive player to make the John Deere Classic his first TOUR title
Scott Brown’s 8-under 63 comes up two strokes shy of his career-low on TOUR, which came at the 2014 John Deere Classic
Brown has made 338’ 8” total putts through 54 holes (140’3”/R1, 81’6”/R2, 116’11”/R3)
Following missed cuts in seven of last nine TOUR starts, Adam Long makes nine birdies in to get to 14-under 199
Third-Round Lead Notes
10 Third-round leaders/co-leaders at the John Deere Classic to win since moving to TPC in 2000 (most recent: 2018/Michael Kim)
15 Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win on PGA TOUR in 2020-21 (most recent: Phil Mickelson/PGA Championship)
Sebastian Muñoz
Offset two bogeys with six birdies to post a 4-under 67
Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (7.833)
Takes his third 54-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR: 2017 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier/T3, 2019 Sanderson Farms Championship/won (lone PGA TOUR victory)
Two previous John Deere Classic starts: MC/2017, T37/2019
Three top-10 finishes in 27 starts this season: THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK/9th, Valero Texas Open/T9, Charles Schwab Challenge/T3
Comes off missed cuts in three of his last four starts; finished T67 at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic
Miscellaneous Notes
Brandon Hagy (2nd/-15) posted a 4-under 67 in bid to become the fourth consecutive player, and 24th overall, to make the John Deere Classic his first TOUR title
Scott Brown (T3/-14) made six birdies in a seven-hole stretch (Nos. 9-11 and 13-15) and nine total en route to an 8-under 63; career-low round of 10-under 61 came in round three of the 2014 John Deere Classic (T5); has made 338’8” total putts through 54 holes (140’3”/R1, 81’6”/R2, 116’11”/R3)
Adam Long (T3/-14) offset two bogeys with nine birdies (20 for the week), good for a 7-under 64; marks his lowest score on TOUR since an 8-under 63 in round three of the 2020 Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN (T3)
With birdies on five of his first six holes, Cameron Champ (T3/-14) posted a bogey-free 6-under 65; in only previous John Deere Classic start, missed the cut in 2019; comes into the week on the heels of four missed cuts and a WD (the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday/wrist)
Kevin Na (T3/-14) posted a second consecutive 5-under 66 in his eighth John Deere Classic start; lone top-10 finish of T8 came in 2016; looks to win his second title of the 2020-21 season (Sony Open in Hawaii) and sixth time overall
Three-time John Deere Classic winner Steve Stricker (T29/-9) followed an outgoing nine (Nos. 10-18) of 5-under 31 with a 2-over 37 after bogeys on his last two holes of the day at Nos. 8 and 9
David Hearn (T29/-9) made his third career ace on TOUR, holing a 132-yard pitching wedge at No. 3; marks the 17th hole-in-one at TPC Deere Run and the first on the third hole since Charles Howell III in 2014
Of the 13 players competing this week also scheduled to compete in next week’s Open Championship at Royal St. George’s Golf Club, seven advanced to the weekend: Daniel Berger (T29), Rafa Cabrera Bello (T15), Lucas Glover (T12), Russell Henley (T15), Zach Johnson (T22), Sebastian Munoz (1st), Chez Reavie (T8), Byeong Hun An (MC), Brian Harman (MC), Keith Mitchell (MC), Alex Noren (MC), C.T. Pan (MC), Danny Lee (WD)
The John Deere Classic is the final event of The Open Qualifying Series USA, offering one spot to the leading player (not otherwise exempt) who finishes among the top five and ties; in the event of a tie, the exemption would go to the player who came into the week higher in the Official World Golf Ranking
Scoring Averages
Front 9 Back 9 Total Cumulative
R1: 34.636 35.240 69.877 ---
R2: 34.487 34.500 68.987 69.438
R3: 34.472 35.000 69.472 69.444
Bogey-free rounds
R1 (11): Chesson Hadley (63), Chez Reavie (64), Camilo Villegas (64), Ryan Moore (65), Doug Ghim (66), Brandon Hagy (67), Harold Varner III (67), Jason Dufner (68), Sungjae Im (68), Seamus Power (68), Daniel Berger (69)
R2 (18): John Senden (63), Luke List (63), Lucas Glover (63), Brandon Hagy (64), Shawn Stefani (64), Roger Sloan (64), Jason Dufner (65), Greg Chalmers (65), Peter Malnati (66), Vaughn Taylor (66), Russell Henley (66), Sebastian Munoz (67), Scott Harrington (67), Scott Piercy (67), Chez Reavie (67), Cameron Percy (68), Tom Lewis (68), Ryan Brehm (70)
R3 (6): Cameron Champ (65), Maverick McNealy (65), Rafa Cabrera Bello (66), Charles Howell III (67), Ryan Moore (68), Tom Lewis (70)
