SILVIS, Ill. - J.T. Poston took a four-stroke lead into the weekend in the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, following an opening 9-under-par 62 with a 65 on Friday at TPC Deere Run.
Coming off a second-place tie last weekend at the Travelers Championship after also opening with a 62, Poston got to 15 under with a birdie on the par-4 13th and parred the final six holes in the afternoon round.
"I feel great," Poston said. "My last few rounds out here have been great going back into last week, so just going to try and keep riding that momentum and doing what I'm doing. Don't change anything and just kind of take the good looks when they come. And when I don't have a good number or don't feel good over it, just be smart about it."
Poston was a stroke off the tournament's 36-hole record set by Steve Stricker in his 2010 victory.
Denny McCarthy was second at 11-under 131 after a 65, also playing in the afternoon after rain delayed play in the morning.
Christopher Gotterup, the former Rutgers player in the field on a sponsor exemption, had a 67 to match Chris Naegel (66), Austria's Matthias Schwab (65) and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo (64) at 10 under.
"It was an interesting day," Gotterup said. "Definitely a bit of an up and down day compared to yesterday, where I was kind of more on cruise control."
Poston won the 2019 Wyndham Championship for his lone PGA Tour title. In the Travelers Championship, the 29-year-old North Carolina native followed last week's opening 62 with rounds of 70, 67 and 64 to finish two strokes behind Xander Schauffele.
"Last week, the one thing I think I learned after playing well Thursday was to try and keep the pedal down," Poston said. "I think this golf course may yield a few more birdies than last week, but at the same time, you've got to go out there and hit some golf shots to stay aggressive. I was able to do that, which is nice."
Lucas Glover's bid to repeat as tournament champ ended when he missed the 3-under cut by a stroke, shooting 74-66.
Chattanooga's Stephan Jaeger made the cut on the number, with the former Baylor School and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standout following his opening 69 with a 70.
AP photo by Charlie Neibergall / Chattanooga's Stephan Jaeger hits off the second tee at TPC Deere Run during the second round of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic on Friday in Silvis, Ill. Jaeger shot a 70 and made the cut on the number.Ortiz, D.J. share lead
The outcry that marked the start of the LIV Golf Invitational Series' first American stop quieted a bit in the second round, putting the focus on the play at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.
Modest crowds and mild temperatures in the mid-70s greeted the players on the first-year circuit, which is trying to shake up the PGA Tour but is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and has faced widespread criticism because of that country's human rights abuses.
Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters winner, shot a 4-under 68 and shared the lead with Mexico's Carlos Ortiz (69) at 8-under 136 going into the final round of the 54-hole tournament in North Plains, Oregon.
"I'm really happy with the way I'm swinging it," Johnson said. "Tomorrow I just need to go and do the same thing, just drive in the fairway. I feel like I'm swinging my irons really good, so if I can get in the fairway, I'm going to get a lot of good looks. And obviously I'm rolling it nice, too."
Orrtiz birdied the final hole to pull even with Johnson.
"I felt like I played really solid," Ortiz said. "I put myself in a good position."
A lone protester was outside the gate at the club some 20 miles west of Portland, holding a sign that simply said "Fallon Smart 2000-2016."
Smart was 15 when she was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Portland. A Saudi national attending school in Oregon was charged in her death, but he removed a monitoring device before the start of his trial and vanished. U.S. officials believe the Saudi government helped spirit him away.
The mood inside Pumpkin Ridge was light, with jugglers and other entertainment, interactive fan activities and food carts offering an array of cuisines. Organizers did not announce attendance figures but said the final round was sold out.
Branden Grace (69) was two shots behind the leaders, with fellow South African player Justin Harding a stroke behind and alone in fourth after shooting a 67 for the best score of the day.
Johnson had the biggest galleries, along with Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, all major championship winners who have signed on to the venture fronted by CEO Greg Norman, a World Golf Hall of Famer.
The PGA Tour has responded to LIV Golf's challenge by suspending every active member who competed in the first event. Those who played in Oregon were suspended unless they resigned their tour memberships.
A big lure for the LIV golfers is money. In addition to sizable signing bonuses, the 48-man field is competing for a $20 million purse, with an additional $5 million prize fund for a team competition. Charl Schwartzel won the London-area debut (and team portion) and made $4.75 million, and even the last-place finisher in the 48-player, cut-free events will earn $120,000.
Critics have said the tour is using golf to detract from Saudi Arabia's record on human rights, including the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. On Thursday, a group of families who lost loved ones during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, protested the tournament. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers that day were Saudi citizens.
Lowry rallies, makes cut
THOMASTOWN, Ireland - Spanish golfer Jorge Campillo was setting the pace halfway through the Irish Open, while home favorite Shane Lowry staged a grand finish to his second round to make the cut at Mount Juliet Country Club.
After avoiding bogeys Thursday, Campillo added a 4-under 68 and was at 11-under 133, one shot ahead of Poland's Adrian Meronk (67) and Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti (69).
The cut was at 2 under, and Lowry looked set for an early exit until he birdied his last four holes for a 70 to move to 3 under. The 2019 British Open champion - and the winner of this event as an amateur in 2009 - rounded off a brilliant rally by holing out from 20 feet on the 18th to the delight of a large gallery.
There was a seven-way tie for fourth at 8 under, including Lowry's playing partner and compatriot, Seamus Power, who birdied the last hole in a second consecutive 68.
Five days after winning the U.S. Senior Open, Ireland's Padraig Harrington used a brilliant finish to join Lowry in making the cut with a shot to spare. Harrington - who also won the British Open twice (2007-08) and the 2008 PGA Championship - followed a double bogey on No. 7, his 16th hole of the second round, with birdies on the eighth and ninth.