An eagle putt on No. 17, birdies to start and finish the back nine — if the Quad Cities heat was bothering Zach Johnson he certainly didn’t show it down the closing stretch of his opening round of the John Deere Classic.
The 50-year-old Johnson is an Iowa native who has won twice already in his debut season on the PGA Tour Champions including the Principal Charity Classic. He’s also winner at TPC Deere Run, coming back on Sunday from four shots down to force and win a playoff over Troy Matteson in 2012.
He also suffered the only playoff lose of his career here to Jordan Spieth when defending the Deere crown a year later.
“I struggle immensely in heat,” Johnson told reporters after the round. “I have a protocol that I have to stick to before the week starts — in the evenings and obviously during the course of the round, honestly, just to survive. … Just to have the energy to compete for 18 holes was a feat for me today, and I’m grateful for [to my wife and my team]. I’ve learned a lot and thankful for that.”
Johnson stopped short of calling it his most satisfied he felt walking off after a round at TPC Deere Run — other than the 2012 victory, of course.
“It’s all the cliches: It’s one day, one round, there’s a lot more golf,” he explained. “However, given the wind conditions, it was trying. You know, there was a lot of John Deere weeks we don’t get a whole lot of wind and it’s pretty stagnant, and it was humming 10 to 15 at times.
“With all that to say and the condition of this golf course, it’s very gratifying.”
The second round of the John Deere Classic tees off Friday at TPC Deere Run. Here are some of the notable groupings and when coverage begins on TV.
Johnson, who skipped the U.S. Senior Open to play the event he won 14 year ago, told reporters after shooting a 7-under 64 on Thursday that he would miss the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in two weeks despite being eligible.
“I’m not going to play four in a row,” he said, noting he would be playing in the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club next week before taking a break for rest.
On Thursday, Johnson started off the same way he ended — for lack of a better term, smoking hot.
He birdied the first hole, one of his three across the first seven holes. The only shot he gave back came at the par-4 ninth.
Playing comfortably with an “everything’s icing on the cake” mentality on the back nine, Johnson was freed up to card a 5-under 31 that sent him climbing up the leaderboard where he sits T-3 with Stephan Jaeger and Lee Hodges — all three just a shot off Lucas Glover and Zac Blair’s co-lead at 8 under.
“My score card — I know that’s an ingredient this week, but it’s not everything,” Johnson said. “I can’t stress it enough. I’m just appreciative of having a partnership with John Deere and feeling like a long, long distance son to this area. Technically, I lived in Davenport when I was an infant. A lot of affinity, a lot of affection, and you know what, it really starts and ends with the people.”
What a difference a week makes, right? Lucas Glover opened up last week’s Travelers Championship with a 75 that had him dead last after 18 holes. He went in as the clubhouse leader at TPC Deere Run Thursday after carding an 8-under 63.
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