Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges tied for John Deere lead
Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges share the John Deere Classic lead at 16-under 197 after Saturday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, setting up a wide-open final round with nine players within four shots. For Glover, it is another late-career surge as a 2023 exemption expires; for Hodges, a win could rewrite a conditional 2026 season.
Key Takeaways
- Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges are tied at 16 under after rounds of 69 and 67, with Blair, Kohles and Suber one stroke back.
- Glover chipped in for eagle and birdied late Saturday; Hodges made four birdies in a six-hole back-nine stretch.
- Both co-leaders carry career stakes: Glover's post-2023 exemption expires this year; Hodges needs a strong finish to escape conditional FedEx Cup status.
- The 36-hole cut fell at 3 under, sending home defending champion Brian Campbell, pro-debutant Jackson Koivun and other notable names.
- Jordan Spieth survived on the number at 3 under, while past Deere winners Dylan Fritelli and Michael Kim were among the early exits.
How did Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges reach the lead?
Entering Sunday, Lucas Glover and Lee Hodges share the top spot at 16-under 197, and their third-round paths looked different. Glover chipped in for eagle early and made a birdie late — his only two subpar holes — for a 2-under 69 that was just enough to stay on top.
Hodges made four birdies in a six-hole back-nine stretch for a 67, with six consecutive holes leaving birdie chances inside 15 feet; he converted four of them. Nine players sit within four shots, ranging from 50-year-old Zach Johnson to NCAA champion Preston Stout.
One stroke behind are Zac Blair (67), Ben Kohles (66) and Jackson Suber (66). Doug Ghim (67) is another stroke back, and Johnson — who skipped the U.S. Senior Open because he treats this as his home event — is three behind after a 35-foot birdie on the 18th for a 66.
Why does this moment matter for Lucas Glover's career arc?
The nostalgia in this leaderboard starts with Glover. His three-year PGA Tour exemption from winning twice in 2023 expires this year, and he began 2026 still recovering from labrum surgery. Yet here he is, contending again on a course where low numbers are the norm.
Glover made his first bogey of the week at the ninth on Saturday before a late storm halted play for about an hour. He returned to drain a 6-foot birdie on the 17th and closed with par. "You pretty much know you've got to go low or you're not going to win," Glover said. "Everybody is going to have to be aggressive, so I've got to hit it a little better tomorrow to achieve the ultimate goal."
That is the then-and-now tension that makes this story click. A player whose recent peak came in 2023 is trying to squeeze one more big week out of a fading exemption while fighting back from injury — in a field where seven of the top 11 players still lack a PGA Tour win.
What changed for Lee Hodges since his 2023 Minnesota win?
Hodges won his only PGA Tour title in Minnesota in 2023, but his 2026 reality is different. He holds conditional status after finishing outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup, and one more strong round could change that standing entirely.
He had a big lead in Minnesota and found himself trying to hang on. At TPC Deere Run, he expects the opposite. "Tomorrow will be a little more fun," Hodges said. "I get to go attack and just beat people. I'm just going to keep my pedal down and just shoot lower than anybody tomorrow."
Kohles, already a Korn Ferry Tour winner in 2026, is also chasing a first PGA Tour victory. Blair, who held a two-shot lead before a double bogey at the 11th, is among the winless names in the mix.
Who missed the cut while the leaders pulled away?
Before Glover and Hodges seized the spotlight, the tournament trimmed its field sharply. According to Golfweek, the cutline settled at 3 under, with the top 65 and ties advancing to the weekend.
Jackson Koivun's professional debut went sideways with rounds of 73 and 70 despite entering with the third-shortest odds to win. The former top-ranked amateur could not recapture the form that produced a T11 at the Deere a year ago and heads to next week's ISCO Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
Defending champion Brian Campbell turned in rounds of 70 and 72 to finish even, extending a drought: it has been 15 years since Steve Stricker's three-peat, and no repeat winner has emerged since. Michael Thorbjornsen, who tied for second in 2024, missed by one shot after 68 and 72. Luke Clanton, who shared that 2024 runner-up spot as an amateur, missed again — his 13th cut miss in 32 PGA Tour starts since early 2025.
Webb Simpson missed by one in his first start since May despite six birdies and five bogeys in a 70. Garrick Higgo posted back-to-back 71s, and U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell shot 72 and 75.
How did Jordan Spieth and other big names survive Friday?
The cut drama also produced a classic Spieth grind. According to the PGA Tour, the two-time John Deere winner needed three back-nine birdies to make the weekend on the number at 3 under after a pulled iron into a native area on the par-5 10th led to bogey.
Ben Griffin, Spieth's Friday afternoon grouping partner, cruised to a second-round 65 and jumped 40 spots. Only two members of that marquee threesome played the weekend. Keegan Bradley also survived on the number, while Chris Gotterup, Max Homa, Tom Kim, Jacob Bridgeman, Tony Finau and 2022 John Deere winner J.T. Poston positioned themselves higher on the board.
Past Deere champions Dylan Fritelli (2019) and Michael Kim (2013) joined Campbell on the sidelines. Golfweek noted dramatic late rallies that barely cleared the line, including Tony Finau's 236 feet of putts in one round and Eric Cole's 63 after an opening 76.
Why does the 2026 John Deere feel like a throwback week?
Strip away the numbers and the tournament is telling a familiar Illinois story: birdies, comebacks and veterans refusing to fade. Rickie Fowler made the cut on the number Friday, started the third round 11 shots back, bogeyed his last hole and still shot 63 to get within five. Nineteen-year-old Blades Brown is five back after already having two chances to win on tour this year.
Course setup adds to the drama. The PGA Tour reported that after two years of record 5-under cut lines, a rebuilt par-4 fourth — lengthened 50 yards with bunkers replacing the Hewitt Tree — has played as the second-toughest hole through two rounds.
Compare this week with other career-revival arcs in our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage: Glover chasing relevance on an expiring exemption, Hodges escaping conditional status, Koivun learning pro golf is harder than amateur stardom, and Campbell unable to repeat. Sunday at TPC Deere Run is a shootout — and for Lucas Glover, it may be one of the last best chances to turn a familiar name back into a headline winner.