Sebastian Munoz signed for a second successive score of 67 to sit one shot clear at the end of the third round of the John Deere Classic.

The Colombian, who has had three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this year, had a trio of birdies and no blemishes on his card after the turn on Saturday, good enough to lift him to 16 under par.

Having held a share of the lead with Chesson Hadley at the end of the first round, Munoz is now just ahead of Brandon Hagy, who also carded a 67.

The 28-year-old will hope to hold off his competitors and add to his solitary tournament win on the PGA Tour, which came at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2019.

However, on a condensed leaderboard, there are five players sitting well within striking distance on 14 under.

Adam Long (64), Cameron Champ (65), Kevin Na (66) and Ryan Moore (68) are all in the group along with Scott Brown, who burst into contention thanks to a 63 that included a run of six birdies in seven holes.

Overnight leader Luke List had managed the same score as Brown on Friday to move into first place, but his third round did not go quite so well.

After mixing three birdies with the same number of bogeys from the eighth hole onwards in an eventful run either side of the turn, List reeled off five straight pars to close out an even-par 71 that leaves him on 13 under.

American duo Maverick McNealy and Chez Reavie are on that same score, along with Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas.

John Deere Classic leader Luke List was delighted to be back out on the course and enjoying his golf after a tough time of things in his personal life.

List's newborn son Harrison was in intensive care after contracting a respiratory virus but is thankfully now home and recovering.

However, it was a difficult few weeks for List, who shot a 63 on Friday tomove a shot clear of joint overnight leader Sebastian Munoz.

"It was tough, but it's been amazing to come back," he said.

"Everyone has been asking and praying and thinking about us, so it's kind of cool.

"It's a big family out here, and it's nice to know that you've got everyone's support when it's not going great."

List's card showed eight birdies as he moved to 13 under for the tournament, one clear of Munoz after the Colombian's 67.

A group of seven players sit on 11 under in a tightly congested leaderboard. 

Colombian Sebastian Munoz and American Chesson Hadley are joint leaders after the opening day of the John Deere Classic in Illinois on Thursday.

Munoz, ranked 75th in the world, hit 17 of 18 greens in his eight-under round which included nine birdies, including five in a row to finish the day.

Hadley, who blew a four-shot lead heading into the final round at the Palmetto Championship three weeks ago, carded an eight-under-63 with eight birdies at the TPC Deere Run.

Hank Lebioda bogeyed on the final hole of the day to let slip a share of the opening day lead.

Lebioda is tied with Chez Reavie and Camilo Villegas at seven under after, marginally ahead of Ryan Moore who carded a six-under-65.

Last week's Rocket Mortgage Classic winner Cameron Davis is four strokes behind the leaders and in contention, landing an eagle on the second hole.

Kevin Na is also four under, with reigning champion Dylan Fritelli carding a three-under 68.

World number 16 Daniel Berger made a 45 foot putt on the ninth hole but finished two under.

Cam Davis earned his first PGA Tour win, defeating Troy Merritt on the fifth play-off hole to clinch the Rocket Mortgage Classic trophy.

After going eagle-birdie on the final two holes of regulation to make the three-way playoff, 26-year-old Australian Davis triumphed over Merritt and Joaquin Niemann to reign supreme on Sunday.

It was the second consecutive week a marathon play-off was needed to determine a winner, after Harris English prevailed on the eighth extra hole to claim the Travelers Championship.

After the trio finished 72 holes at 18 under par, Chilean golfer Niemann went out on the first play-off hole, the par-four 18th, with a bogey his first of the week as he settled for his third runners-up performance this season.

Davis and Merritt duelled from there, matching scores on the 15th, 16th and 14th before returning to the par-three 15th hole again. 

There, Davis finally closed Merritt out, making par while the American bogeyed the hole. 

Davis became the seventh first-time winner on Tour this season. 

"It's been pretty hectic ever since the 17th hole for me, so I just tried to put as much out of my mind as I could and hit every shot for what it was worth," Davis told CBS after the round.

"As simple as that's said, it's so hard to do when the pressure's on like that, but I just kept on putting good swings on it. I didn't make any putts, but I kept on putting it in play, so it worked out all right."

Alex Noren (64) and Hank Lebioda (68) finished 17 under, while Bubba Watson (64) and Brandon Hagy (68) finished two back of the leaders at 16 under. 

Former world number one Jason Day had his best round of the week with a 66 but finished five strokes adrift of the play-off group, along with Keegan Bradley (68) and others. 

Among other notables, Patrick Reed (67) and Rickie Fowler (71) finished 10 under, while Phil Mickelson's third consecutive 72 left him at three under for the tournament. 

Troy Merritt joined Joaquin Niemann atop the leaderboard heading into the final round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic thanks in part to a remarkable hole-in-one. 

In search of his third PGA Tour title and first in nearly three years, Merritt was one stroke better than Niemann (68) in the third round and turned in the highlight of the day in Detroit. 

The American's tee shot on the 218-yard 11th bounced on the green and arced straight into the cup, setting off a celebration in the gallery. 

It was Merritt's first ace in PGA Tour play and momentarily gave him a three-shot lead, but he spent more time after the round stewing over his bogey on the following hole. 

"The big thing is, when you get out in front, don't go back to the guys behind you," he said. "Make them come and get you." 

Niemann enjoyed a steadier day, carding birdies on the first and last holes to book-end his third consecutive bogey-free round and sit at 14 under par for the tournament. 

The Chilean will try to run down his first win since the 2019 Greenbrier Classic on Sunday, but he and Merritt will have plenty of competition. 

Hank Leiboda (66) and Cam Davis (67) begin the final round one stroke back, with Brandon Hagy (68) two back at 12 under and six more golfers at 11 under. 

Among the notables down the leaderboard, Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley are at nine under after carding 68s, with Bubba Watson (67) one stroke behind them. 

Former world number one Jason Day (69) is at seven under, Patrick Reed (70) at five under and Phil Mickelson at three under after a second consecutive round of 72. 

Joaquin Niemann and Tom Lewis are tied for the one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where defending champion Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut.

Niemann and Lewis both carded three-under-par 69s in the second round of the PGA Tour tournament in Detroit on Friday.

Eyeing his second PGA Tour title and first since the 2019 Greenbrier Classic, Chilean golfer Niemann was bogey-free as he recorded three birdies to reach 10 under through 36 holes.

Englishman Lewis – a two-time European Tour champion but without success on the PGA circuit – was also flawless following three birdies without a dropped shot on day two.

Lewis is making his 45th career PGA Tour start. In his first 43 starts, he played the opening 36 holes in 134 or better once (134/2020 Shriners Hospital for Children Open). The 30-year-old has now done it in each of his last two starts – 134 at Travelers Championship and this week's Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Troy Merritt (68), Chris Kirk (68) and Max Homa (65) are a shot off the pace heading into the weekend, while overnight leader Davis Thompson (73) is among a group of players tied for sixth at eight under.

Former world number one Jason Day could only manage a second-round 73 as he fell to four under, six shots behind the leading pair – a stroke better off than Patrick Reed (72) and six-time major champion Phil Mickelson (72).

US PGA Championship winner Mickelson played the final two holes in one-under to finish three under, just a shot above the cut line.

"I am tired of trying to fight to make cuts. I want to get in contention, because that's what's so much fun, like it was at the PGA, just being in contention and having a chance," Mickelson said.

DeChambeau (71) was not so fortunate as the big-hitting American's title defence came to an end after just two rounds at one under.

Meanwhile, Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama was forced to withdraw before his second round after testing positive for coronavirus.

Davis Thompson tied the 18-hole scoring record at the Rocket Mortgage Classic after earning the opening-round lead.

Thompson – in his third PGA Tour tournament as a professional – carded a nine-under-par 63 to claim a two-stroke lead in Detroit, where play was suspended due to darkness on Thursday.

The 22-year-old surprisingly leads at Detroit Golf Club following a flawless first round which featured nine birdies to match the 18-hole scoring record at the event, joining Nate Lashley and J.T. Poston (both in 2019).

"Sounds good on Sunday," Thompson said afterwards, having been a collective six-over par in his six previous starts on tour (four as an amateur). "It's only Thursday. I know I've got a long way to go."

"I’ve played in a few pro events now, so you've just got to keep your emotions in check," Thompson said. "Anything can happen. I know I'm playing well, so I'm just going to have some confidence going into [Friday] and hopefully I can play another good round."

Brandon Hagy, Tom Lewis and Joaquin Niemann are two shots off the pace heading into Friday's second round, while Seamus Power and J.J. Spain are a stroke further back.

Former world number one Jason Day ended the opening day five under following his 67 as six-time major champion and US PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson posted a 69 to be level with the likes of Patrick Reed.

Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama opened his tournament with a two-under-par 70.

As for defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, the big-hitting American shot an even-par 72.

Trying to successfully defend a PGA Tour title for the first time, world number six DeChambeau mixed three birdies with three bogeys.

It comes as DeChambeau and caddie Tim Tucker take some time apart.

"They have gone their separate ways for now," DeChambeau's agent Brett Falkoff told ESPN. "That doesn't mean forever, but it means they are not working together now. They met last night and decided to move on.

"It's just an accumulation of things, and it's never easy when a player and caddie split up. They just decided the best situation for now was essentially to not be together anymore."

Harris English outlasted Kramer Hickok in a marathon play-off to claim the Travelers Championship on Sunday.

English birdied the eighth play-off hole in a marathon battle against fellow American Kramer at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

The eight-hole play-off is tied for second longest in PGA Tour history (2012 Mayakoba Golf Classic, 1983 Phoenix Open, 1981 Quad Cities Open, 1978 Greater Milwaukee Open and 1965 Azalea Open Invitational) – only three holes shy of the record – 11 at 1949 Motor City Open.

English's birdie putt at the eighth extra hole delivered a fourth career Tour title and second of the season after he claimed the Tournament of Champions via sudden death.

A play-off was needed at the Travelers Championship after English and Hickok finished 13 under through 72 regulation holes.

English catapulted himself to the top of the leaderboard with a five-under-par 65 as Hickok's final-round 67 saw him settled for a share of the lead.

March Leishman – the 2012 champion – used a bogey-free six-under-par 64 to earn outright third position, a shot behind English and Hickok, having initially been tied for first in the fourth round.

A stroke further back was Abraham Ancer (65) as four-time major winner Brooks Koepka (65) headlined a group of five players tied for fifth at 10 under.

Former world number one Jason Day was unable to maintain his title charge – an even-par 70 seeing the Australian star fall into a share of 10th spot at nine under.

Bryson DeChambeau also lost ground on the final day following a 70, which left the former U.S. Open champion seven under at the end of the tournament, alongside overnight leader Bubba Watson (73).

Defending champion Dustin Johnson's (71) bid for back-to-back trophies finished in a tie for 25th at six under and he was joined by Patrick Reed (69).

Three-time Travelers Championship winner Bubba Watson is tied for the lead heading into the final round at TPC River Highlands. 

Watson and fellow American Kramer Hickok carded two-under-par 68s on Saturday to lead the tournament at 10 under. 

Second-round leader Jason Day (70) lurks one stroke back along with Cameron Smith (66) and Russell Henley (68) after 54 holes. 

Two-time Masters champion Watson won his first PGA Tour title at the 2010 Travelers and triumphed again in 2015 and 2018 - the latter his most recent Tour victory. 

Watson said he plans to be aggressive on the back nine on Sunday if he is still in contention. 

"You don't want to play safe," he said. "In my stage of my career if I have a chance to win I'm going to go for it.

"That's the key. I'm not going to worry about third or fourth place. I am going to try to go for it if I can."

Hickok was in position for the outright lead, having turned in a flawless round before recording bogeys at 17 and 18. 

Nonetheless, the 29-year-old Texan has at least a share of the lead after 54 holes for the first time on tour as he looks for his first career win. 

Harris English (67), Brice Garnett (69) and K.H. Lee (69) are two shots behind the leaders at eight under, while Dustin Johnson (65) and Bryson DeChambeau (68) are well within striking distance at seven under. 

Brooks Koepka (69) and Patrick Reed (70) are among those at five under. 

Former world number one Jason Day leads the Travelers Championship heading into the weekend after surging to the top of the leaderboard following two rounds.

Day went low in the second round on Friday, carding a bogey-free and Travelers Championship career-best eight-under-par 62 to claim a one-stroke lead at TPC River Highlands.

Winner of the 2015 US PGA Championship and a 12-time PGA Tour champion, Day's career has been hampered by lingering back problems.

Day withdrew from the Memorial Tournament due to a back injury and did not qualify for the U.S. Open, having missed three consecutive cuts before tying for 44th at the PGA Championship.

But Day enjoyed a return to form as the Australian star earned his first lead/co-lead at a non-major tournament since 2017 thanks to a flawless round, which included eight birdies.

"Sometimes when you do have sort of an injury or stiffness, even if you're sick, sometimes you can come out and play some good golf," he said. "I was fortunate enough to not really get in my own way today."

Three-time Travelers Championship winner Bubba Watson (66) and co-overnight leader Kramer Hickok (69) are tied for second at eight under through 36 holes.

Hickok was 10 under before crumbling at the par-three 16th hole, where he three-putted from 18 feet for a double-bogey to end the day alongside Watson.

Russell Henley (66), Kevin Kisner (63), Seamus Power (67), Justin Rose (63), K.H. Lee (64), Brice Garnett (68) and Troy Merritt (65) are all seven under heading into Saturday's third round.

Big-hitting American star Bryson DeChambeau followed up his first-round 69 with a four-under-par 66 to be four strokes off the pace, alongside the likes of 2012 champion Marc Leishman (66) and Patrick Reed (66).

Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka also recorded another round in the 60s – a second-round 67 – to be a shot further back.

PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson (69) and defending champion Dustin Johnson (68) finished just a shot above the cut line at two under to qualify for the weekend.

Kramer Hickok and Satoshi Kodaira share the one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Travelers Championship, where stars Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson were forced to take a backseat.

Unheralded duo Hickok and Kodaira upstaged the star-studded field following their seven-under-par 63s at TPC River Highlands on Thursday.

Hickok – searching for his maiden PGA Tour title – offset a bogey at this first hole with eight birdies as the American golfer posted a career-low round in Cromwell, Connecticut.

"I really only hit one bad putt — on the par-five 13th. Other than that, I just felt like the holes looked awfully big today," the 29-year-old said. "I made a lot of good putts today, and the greens says are rolling so good that just the holes look big."

Japan's Kodaira matched his best score on the PGA Tour, from the second round of the 2018 RBC Heritage – his only victory.

Kodaira holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the 348-yard par-four second hole.

"I knew it was on target but didn't see it go in," he said. "I heard the applause, so I knew it went in."

Talor Gooch is a shot behind Hickok and Kodaira, while Maverick McNealy, Brice Garnett, Beau Hossler, Henrik Norlander and Patrick Rodgers are a stroke further back heading into the second round.

There is a 31-player logjam tied for 45th position at one under, headlined by DeChambeau, Koepka and Mickelson.

DeChambeau, who was dethroned by Jon Rahm at last week's U.S. Open, mixed three birdies with two bogeys to start his Travelers Championship campaign.

Four-time major champion Koepka also shared an identical round, while US PGA Championship winner Mickelson had four birdies and two bogeys.

"I'm awful the week after a major, especially U.S. Open, because it takes so much out of you," said Koepka, who was tied for fourth behind Rahm at Torrey Pines. "But still should have played better. No excuse. I mean, I'm kind of tired. I am going to enjoy getting to bed tonight."

The likes of Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler also shot 69s in round one.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson – who slipped to second in the golf rankings following Rahm's U.S. Open triumph – started his bid for back-to-back titles with an even-par 70.

Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer have been appointed as vice-captains by Team Europe skipper Padraig Harrington for the Ryder Cup.

Both players bring a wealth experience to Harrington's backroom team for the rescheduled clash against the United States, which will take place at Whistling Straits in September – 12 months on from the original date that was scuppered by the coronavirus pandemic.

McDowell was also part of the set-up at Le Golf National in 2018, where Europe – led by Thomas Bjorn – hammered their American counterparts 17.5-10.5.

The Northern Irishman has featured four times as a player (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014), accumulating nine points from 15 matches – including claiming the winning point at Celtic Manor in 2010.

"I decided on Graeme as a vice-captain a long time ago. He was vice-captain in 2018 with me and I liked what he brought to the team room," Harrington said of the 2010 U.S. Open champion.

"He's quite an authority, confident in what he's doing and saying and knows the scene. The only reason he would not have been a vice-captain was if he was going to be a player.

"Graeme is a strong influence and the players look up to him. When he speaks, people listen, but he doesn't speak unless he's got something to say. I definitely saw that when he was vice-captain previously – players pay attention and follow him."

 

Kaymer too brings plenty of Ryder Cup experience to the table. The German has won 6.5 points from four appearances at the biennial tournament (2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016).

Undoubtedly his most famous contribution came when he sank the winning putt in 2012 to complete the "Miracle of Medinah", where Europe overturned a 10-6 deficit on the final day to retain the trophy.

Whistling Straits is also the scene of Kaymer's 2010 US PGA Championship triumph, which led to his debut in the Ryder Cup. 

"Martin is somebody I wanted as a vice-captain because he has a great personality and brings a calmness, a European element, and a lot of confidence with him," Harrington said of Kaymer, who also won the 2014 U.S. Open. 

"The fact that he won around Whistling Straits also brings that level of authority and assurance that you need.

"Martin will also bring a nice emotion to the team, which is very important. He's somebody who will help with the atmosphere, put an arm around a player or two and bring that level of authority and belief that we may need during the week."

 

Brooks Koepka says he has plenty of support on tour in his ongoing feud with Bryson DeChambeau and has no interest in sitting down to talk things out with his rival. 

Their spat has dominated golf's off-course buzz since a leaked video clip from an interview at the US PGA Championship showed Koepka rolling his eyes when DeChambeau walked by. 

Koepka showed no interest in ending the affair in an interview with ESPN on Tuesday ahead of this week's Travelers Championship in Connecticut. 

He said he has received approving text messages from NFL and NBA players, among others. 

"These guys love it," Koepka said. "I think it's drawn them into the golf a little bit more and is making it more fun for everybody. 

"Look, I've enjoyed it. I've definitely gotten the better of him, and I've enjoyed that." 

Closer to home, Koepka said his fellow PGA Tour players and officials also have provided positive feedback. 

"There's been a few laughs, a few 'I can't believe you did that -- I'm glad you did.' It's been fun," he said. 

"I've gotten good response from a bunch of the guys on tour, from everybody from the tour. It's been something I think everybody's enjoyed and definitely changing up the game a little bit."

Though the pair have appeared on unfriendly terms since at least 2019, when Koepka called out DeChambeau for slow play, their most recent fallout has generated a different kind of attention for the tour. 

Koepka seems inclined to keep it going, as indicated by his response to being asked in the ESPN interview how he would respond if DeChambeau approached him with an offer to sit down and smooth things over. 

"There's not much to talk about," Koepka said. "This whole thing started, basically, because of him. I'll leave it at that. I don't see us having dinner or drinks ... just to settle it."

U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm knew his "fairytale story" would have a "happy ending" after celebrating his first major title.

Rahm earned a breakthrough triumph at Torrey Pines after outlasting Louis Oosthuizen by one stroke following his final-round 67 in San Diego on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Rahm birdied his final two holes as he became the fourth Spanish player to claim a major and first at the U.S. Open.

"It felt like such a fairytale story that I knew it was going to have a happy ending," Rahm, whose previous best major performance was tied for third at the 2019 U.S. Open, said during his news conference.

"I could just tell, just going down the fairway after that first tee shot, that second shot, and that birdie, I knew there was something special in the air. I could just feel it. I just knew it.

"I couldn't have told you in the moment I felt something special. That's why I played as aggressive as I did because it was like, man, this is my day; everything's going to go right. I felt like that helped me become. I just knew that I could do it and believed it."

"I'm still a little bit on golf mode, right? I feel like, when I'm in that mode, it takes me a while to get out of it," he added. "It probably won't happen tonight. It might happen tomorrow. I don't know, at some point it will hit me. I'm still thinking there might be a playoff. I've been scarred before.

"It's incredible that I'm sitting next to this trophy. A couple weeks ago, I watched my good friend Phil [Mickelson] win it [US PGA Championship]. I took a lot of inspiration from that. I've been close before, and I just knew on a Sunday, the way I have been playing the last few majors, I just had to be close. I knew I could get it done. I'm keeping that good Sunday mojo going. Man, I got it done in a fashion that apparently can only happen to me at Torrey Pines."

Rahm's success came after he was forced to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament when leading by six shots, having tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month.

"I believed from the biggest setbacks we can get some of the biggest breakthroughs, and that's why I stay so positive," said Rahm.

"That's why I kept telling Kelley, when she was devastated about what happened and my family and everybody around me, something good is going to come. I don't know what, but something good is going to come, and I felt it today out there on the golf course."

Oosthuizen was in a three-way share of the lead heading into the deciding round and opened up a one-shot lead on a gripping final day.

But Oosthuizen (71) – the 2010 Open Championship winner – was unable to keep Rahm at bay.

"Right now I didn't win it. I'm second again. It's frustrating. It's disappointing," said Oosthuizen.

"I'm playing good golf, but it's winning a major championship is not just going to happen. You need to go out and play good golf.

"I played good today, but I didn't play good enough."

Jon Rahm birdied his final two holes to outlast Louis Oosthuizen by one stroke for U.S. Open victory and his first major title.

Oosthuizen was in a three-way share of the lead heading into the deciding round and opened up a one-shot lead on a gripping final day at Torrey Pines.

But Rahm rallied in San Diego, where the emotional Spanish star dramatically birdied the 17th and 18th holes to claim a lead he never relinquished on Sunday.

Rahm signed for a four-under-par 67 to finish six under through 72 holes as 2010 Open Championship winner Oosthuizen (71) settled for a runners-up cheque.

At the scene of his maiden PGA Tour win – the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open – Rahm became the fourth player from Spain to win a major and first at the U.S. Open.

Rahm, who was forced to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament when leading by six shots after testing positive for coronavirus earlier this month, said post-round: "I'm a big believer in karma. After what happened a couple of weeks ago, I stayed really positive, knowing big things were coming.

"I didn't know what it was going to be, but I knew we were coming to a special place, I know I got my breakthrough win here, and it's a very special place for my family. The fact my parents were able to come, I got out of COVID protocol early, I just felt like the stars were aligning.

"I can't even believe I made the first two putts! This was definitely for Seve [Ballesteros]. I know he tried a lot, and wanted to win this one most of all. I just don't know how to explain it! I don't know why, but every time we land here, we are happy. We’re in our spot!"

Oosthuizen was initially circumspect on day four, going one over through eight holes to leave the South African one shot behind defending champion Bryson DeChambeau – who came agonisingly close to a sensational hole-in-one at the par-three eighth.

But DeChambeau was unable to maintain his hot start, finishing with a forgettable six-over-par 77 to end the event eight shots off the pace.

Oosthuizen also failed to keep Rahm at bay – dropped shots at the 11th and 17th holes, paving the way for the red-hot Spanish golfer to emerge triumphant for the first time at a major.

Harris English (68) finished solo third, a stroke better off than Guido Migliozzi (68), two-time U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka (69) and Collin Morikawa (70) as former world number one Rory McIlroy's final-round 73 resulted in a share of seventh spot at one under.

World number one Dustin Johnson (74) and fellow stars Jordan Spieth (72) Justin Thomas (73), Patrick Reed (67) and Sergio Garcia (68) closed out the event tied for 19th.

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