Spieth Soars at John Deere Classic


Thanks to a birdie-eagle-birdie finish that led to a career-low 10-under 61, Jordan Spieth ascended to the top of the leaderboard in the $4.7 million John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.

The 21-year-old from Dallas started out hot Saturday and stayed that way. Spieth, who won the Masters in April and last month's U.S. Open at Chambers Bay to position himself for a rare Grand Slam with a victory in next week's Open Championship at St. Andrews, opened with three birdies and an eagle to make the turn in 5-under 31.

On the home half, he tacked on three more birdies and another eagle on the par-5 17th. After a drive on the penultimate hole, Spieth punched out of the woods to 107 yards. And then after striking a sand wedge, he reacted as if he hit a bad shot. But the ball landed just past the cup and spun back into the hole.

The third round at the John Deere Classic - where he earned his first victory as a pro in 2013 after a five-hole playoff - was the first time in Spieth's career when he carded two eagles in the same round, and his 61 was a career-low mark.

Heading into Sunday, Spieth stands at 17-under 196, two strokes ahead of the winner of last week's Greenbrier Classic, Danny Lee, who also shot up the leaderboard following a 62.

The TPC Deere Run course was softened by two rain delays Saturday. The first suspension lasted about an hour, and another later in the morning extended nearly two hours. The conditions allowed the players to fire at the pin, and no one did that better than Spieth, who also won the Valspar Championship in March.

"For whatever reason, I just started picking it up," said Spieth, who began the tournament with a pedestrian 71. Of his second eagle, he added, "I just hit it thin a little bit and somehow it went in."

As for the key to his round, Spieth noted, "Once you start seeing a few putts go in you really get a lot of confidence."

Shawn Stefani carded a 64 and enters Sunday three strokes behind fellow Texan Spieth.

Playing alongside Spieth, defending champion Brian Harman posted a 71 to drop down to 7-under 206.

Because of the weather delays Saturday, several players had yet to complete their third rounds before this story was posted. For updated scores, visit http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html.