Saturday’s John Deere Classic saw plenty of birdies at TPC Deere Run. Davis Thompson, who led after 54 holes, had nine birdies for a nine-under 62. He’s two strokes back in the lead at 21 under.
The former Georgia Bulldog wasn’t the only PGA Tour player to take advantage of Moving Day.
Thirty-four players posted scores of 68 or better, with many rocketing up the leaderboard, but who took Moving Day most seriously?
These five players are: A solid third round.
5. Jason Day
Australian Jason Day, who began his career in the John Deere Classic, has worked his way up to 17th on the leaderboard.
Day shot a 5-under 66 on Saturday to move to 11 under par. He’s 10 strokes behind Thompson, but position means everything to him, and if he can keep up this form he’ll be well on his way to climbing the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
4. Seamus Power
Seamus Power shot a 5-under 66 in the third round to move up 11 places to 13 under par overall. He’s tied for 21st, eight places back. But Power is in the 60th place in the FedEx Cup standings, so a strong showing on Sunday could help him stay in the running for his season.
3. Michael Thorbjornsen
PGA Tour rookie Michael Thorbjornsen missed the cut in Detroit last week but finished tied for sixth at the John Deere Classic.
He shot a five-under 66 to move up four spots to 16 under par, and he has a good chance of winning by five strokes, but he’ll need to stay aggressive.
2. Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth surprised everyone Saturday morning. It burned hot On moving day he climbed as high as 35th and was tied for 12th at 14 under par. Spieth signed with an 8-under 63, his lowest score of the year.
The two-time John Deere Classic winner knows what’s needed on Sunday, and while a third title may be tough to come by at seven strokes back from the lead, a top-10 finish would be a great confidence boost as the season draws to a close.
1. Eric Cole
Eric Cole shot a 7-under 64 on Saturday to move up two spots. He and Aaron Lai finished at 19 under par, two strokes behind Thompson. Cole made the most of a moving day and avoided making too many big mistakes.
Cole had two birdies in the first nine holes, but things didn’t pick up in the second half. He birdied the 10th and 11th holes and then got a fifth birdie on the par-4 14th. His only mistake was a bogey on the 15th, but he finished with a birdie, eagle and par to get back in contention for the win.
Coles Eagle on the 17th It was a big moment for him, helping him end the day with a bang and place in the final group.
They needed a strong performance on Moving Day and they got it.
The PGA Tour announced that Sunday’s rounds will be played from split tee holes due to the possibility of scattered thunderstorms during the day.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports
