Lucas Glover and Zac Blair each carded bogey-free 8-under 63s in Thursday’s first round at TPC Deere Run to share the lead at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois. Both came into the week outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup, with Glover at No. 119 and Blair at No. 160, giving their matching rounds added weight as the season approaches its final two months.

Zach Johnson, Lee Hodges and Stephan Jaeger sat one shot back at 7-under 64.

Glover’s backswing fix

Glover, 46, won here in 2021 and has four top-10 finishes in 16 tournament appearances at TPC Deere Run. He started the year coming back from surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum and had managed only two top-25 finishes in 15 starts before this week.

The 63 followed a mechanical adjustment he identified during last week’s event in Hartford. He said his backswing had become too upright, cutting short his turn. He worked with coach Jason Baile on Monday to confirm the issue on video.

“This is one of the few times it’s actually been something wasn’t fundamental with me,” Glover said. “My back swing, I was getting a little lifty. Stopping my turn, club was going up, two-way miss. Not a good combo.”

His 63 marked the lowest round by a player 46 or older on the PGA Tour this season. The six-time Tour winner, whose exemption from back-to-back victories in 2023 expires after this year, said the familiar setting helped.

“Even struggling like I have this year, you pull down the driveway somewhere you’ve had success, it gives you a good feeling.”

Blair’s iron play sets the tone

Blair’s round featured an eagle at the par-5 second hole and six birdies. He hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation, ranked first in the field in proximity at 20 feet and led in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green at 4.037.

The 35-year-old has split time between the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour this season, with one top-10 in eight PGA Tour starts. His best career finishes are a solo second at the 2024 ISCO Championship and a tied-second at the 2023 Travelers Championship.

“Playing golf professionally is pretty stressful, especially for me,” Blair said. “I’ve kind of always been right in that 125 to 150 spot my whole career. So every start is important. Just trying to do a good job of playing well, whichever kind of tour I’m playing on.”

Johnson, Riley highlight packed leaderboard

Twenty players shot 66 or better on a warm day at TPC Deere Run. Johnson, the 50-year-old Cedar Rapids native who won this event in 2012, closed eagle-birdie after holing a 45-foot putt from off the green at the par-5 17th. He skipped the US Senior Open and The Open Championship to play here.

“I just love being here, and I’m comfortable, obviously,” Johnson said.

Playing his 1,787th par-3 on the PGA Tour, Davis Riley made his first career PGA Tour hole-in-one at the 150-yard 16th with a 9-iron, then eagled the 17th to finish at 6-under 65. NCAA champion Preston Stout posted a 5-under 66, while Jackson Koivun struggled to a 73 in his professional debut.

Related: Alessandro Tadini Wins Landmark AEGEAN Messinia Pro-Am as Ian Woosnam Visits Costa Navarino

Italian PGA professional Alessandro Tadini claimed a record-equalling third title at the 20th-anniversary edition of the AEGEAN Messinia Pro-Am, where 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam joined 59 teams from 21 countries at Costa Navarino.

For the latest news in the golfing world, follow us on X.