TEEING OFF
On a day that at one point saw 21 players within two of the lead, it was 41-year-old Lucas Glover left standing as he closed out the John Deere Classic for his first win in over a decade. Glover birdied five of the last six holes at TPC Deere Run, good enough then for the clubhouse lead at 19 under and eventually good enough to clinch his fourth PGA TOUR title.
“It’s been a long 10 years. There’s been some struggles,” Glover said. “I knew it was in there … I never lost sight of believing I could do this and win again. It’s always nice to prove yourself right.”
Glover continues the comeback trend this TOUR season as the 6th player 40 or older to lift a trophy, joining Stewart Cink (twice), Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Brian Gay and Matt Jones. As Glover gets ready to tee it up at Royal St. George’s for The Open Championship, the win sets him up nicely with the FedExCup Playoffs fast approaching. Glover climbed 50 spots in the standings to No. 32, giving himself a shot at making it to East Lake for the TOUR Championship.
The vet knows you can’t look too far ahead, though. “Every week is a new week. Every swing is a new swing. Every stroke is a new stroke. I show up next week in England, and we’re all tied on Thursday again.” Glover may show up tied, but he’ll have some new hardware with him as well.
MIC CHECK
“I never lost my faith, never lost my drive, never lost the self-belief,” – Lucas Glover after his win that ended a title drought of over a decade.
OPEN RETURNS TO ROYAL ST. GEORGE’S
The Open Championship returns this year after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19. It was the first time since World War II the major was not played. Shane Lowry, who captured his first major championship at The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, will return the Claret Jug after his extended title defense ends.
The top two golfers in the FedExCup standings Patrick Cantlay and Harris English will both look for their first major championship wins at The Open. Lowry is looking to become the first golfer since Padraig Harrington (2007, 2008) to go back-to-back. Each of the other major winners this season, except Hideki Matsuyama, (Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and Jon Rahm) will all look to add to their major trophy cases at Royal St. George’s.
Jon Rahm will look to become only the seventh golfer to ever win the U.S. Open and Open Championship in the same year. Royal St. George’s was the first golf course in England to host The Open (1894) and this year will mark the 15th time for the storied course. The last Open Championship contested there was in 2011 (won by Darren Clarke at age 42) and prior to that it was Ben Curtis’ surprising victory in 2003.
The course is known for its rumpled and undulating terrain which often produces unpredictable bounces, plus dunes and deep bunkering set over beautiful seaside land. Louis Oosthuizen is trying to avoid becoming the first golfer since 2000 to finish runner-up in three straight majors.
A major winner already, Bryson DeChambeau will debut his new caddie, Brian Zeigler, at Royal St. George’s.
