John Deere Traditional: Doug Ghim holds on to steer at midway stage forward of Max Homa-led chasing pack | Golf Information

Doug Ghim holed out from the golf green for an eagle for the second straight day to assist him retain the lead on the midway stage of the John Deere Traditional.

The American’s three-under second spherical of 68 moved him to 12 below par for the match and noticed him take his first 36-hole lead in his six years on the PGA Tour. He’s one shot forward of a five-strong chasing pack going into the weekend that features defending champion Davis Thompson (63) and Max Homa (68).

Ghim holed out on the brief par-four sixth within the opening spherical. This time it was from 179 yards away on the par-four fifteenth.

“I suppose holing out two days in a row is all the time good,” Ghim stated. “It has been a pair years since I holed out from the golf green. To get two back-to-back days is nice.”

Ghim had held a two-shot lead earlier than solely his second bogey of the spherical got here on his final gap of the day, the par-four ninth. Hitting left into the bushes and down a cart path, he then punched out by the inexperienced and chipped to 18 toes earlier than lacking the putt.

With Saturday’s beginning instances moved ahead due to forecast rain, Mexico Open winner Brian Campbell (66), David Lipsky (67) and Emiliano Grillo (66) are additionally tied with Thompson and Homa for second.

Ghim nonetheless feels a good distance off from an opportunity to win for the primary time at a match that has produced extra first-time winners than some other PGA Tour occasion since 1970.

“The individual that’s going to win this match might be within the 20-under-par space, so final time I checked I am not there but,” Ghim stated.

“I do not really feel like I am within the lead, and I am simply joyful that I get to be teeing off late tomorrow in competition.”

Homa was tied with Ghim late within the afternoon, when the greens had been getting dry and crusty. However on the 18th gap, he pulled his tee shot right into a bunker, lacking the inexperienced to the suitable and wound up lacking a 12-foot par putt to fall one again.

“You are going to need to shoot actually low,” stated Homa.

“Should you went on the market and tried to do one thing particular, I am not so certain that’s going to work.

“Someone can go on the market and shoot 11 below on the market and soar everyone. So simply go do what we did as we speak and play one other spherical of golf. Simply maintain ready till the again 9 on Sunday principally.”

Thompson performed within the morning and was the primary to succeed in 11 below as he tries to change into the primary repeat winner of the John Deere Traditional since Steve Stricker gained three in a row from 2009 by 2011.

There was excessive drama late within the day that wound up setting the lower at 5 below.

Rikuya Hoshino and Jesper Svensson every made birdie on their final gap to maneuver the lower line to 5 below, just for Paul Peterson to take bogey on his final gap to maneuver it again to 4 below.

However within the remaining group, Brendan Valdes drilled his tee shot on the par-four 18th, hit his method to about eight toes and holed the birdie putt for a 66. That moved the reduce to 5 below, eliminating 14 gamers from the weekend.

Rickie Fowler and Jake Knapp wound up making the lower on the quantity.

In the meantime, 12 gamers had been separated by two photographs going into the third spherical, a gaggle that features Camilo Villegas, Sam Stevens and Si Woo Kim.

Stevens and Kim try to complete excessive sufficient to maneuver up the world rating that might be used subsequent week to set the alternate listing for the The Open at Royal Portrush, dwell on Sky Sports activities, from Thursday July 17.

Protection of the third spherical of the John Deere Traditional continues dwell on Sky Sports activities Golf from 5pm on Saturday – or stream with no contract.