The first round of the 2025 John Deere Classic delivered fireworks at the Illinois course, with a red-hot leaderboard. Doug Ghim shot a stunning 9-under 62, picking up twelve fairways and 17 greens in regulation.
Remarkably, his ball‑striking excellence more than compensated for a lack of putting gains. Ghim’s clean, efficient round (featuring just one bogey after an eagle) puts him firmly in front and seeking his first PGA Tour title.
I hit it really well, holed out a wedge. Any time you can shoot 9 under and not really make a putt, it’s always a good sign,” Ghim said.
Trailing close behind was a tied-for-second trio at 8 under, including Max Homa. The six-time PGA Tour winner jumped out to a blistering start with four consecutive birdies before a lone blemish on the 9th. Homa’s 63 wasn’t just dominant; it marked the best opening round of his career. He finished with three strokes behind Ghim, but clearly signposted that a return to form is underway.
Hot Start & Renewed Confidence
On a day when low numbers flew, Homa’s round was the standout. He said afterward, “I played a good round of golf; every day is different. I do feel like we found a little something with the driver, all the long clubs, and it was nice to do that for 18 full holes. I didn’t hit one crazy shot today, so that was cool.”
With ten fairways and 14 greens found, plus nine birdies and only one bogey, he looks the part of a contender.
He emphasized the importance of staying patient in the hunt, acknowledging that TPC Deere Run has historically rewarded those who keep the pedal down–winners are often pegged around 20-under total.
“Patience is very important, even when scores are really low…,” he said, “As much as it always feels like a track meet in your head, you look at that and it’s important to stay within yourself and stay patient because you can birdie any hole out here.”
Homa, who hasn’t cracked the top ten all year, said this round was “a complete day of great golf,” crediting gains off the tee and with his long clubs. The resurgence shows his game is trending upward at precisely the right time.
Playing alongside Homa, Rickie Fowler matched the swing in scoring speed. He finished 6-under 65, including an eagle and five birdies. Fowler, chasing his first Tour win since mid-2023, came out firing with back‑nine birdies, then steamrolled the front at 29 strokes to vault into contention .
Though not as low as Homa’s card, Fowler remains very much in the mix. He currently sits tied for eighth and is setting the tone for a weekend push to break through and reignite his campaign.
Austin Eckroat & the Rest of the Chase Pack
Tied alongside Homa at 8 under is Eckroat, playing in the group directly ahead. Eckroat made noise with two eagles, including a dramatic wedge-in, demonstrating how aggressively the course can be attacked.
Following closely is a group at 7-under, including Michael Kim, David Lipsky, and others–all bunched up and ready to pounce. And clustering around 6-under is a formidable chase pack: Matt Kuchar, Si‑Woo Kim, Cameron Champ, and Kevin Yu join Fowler in hunting weekend momentum.
TPC Deere Run consistently yields monster scores, and with 18 players in the first round at 65 or better, conditions clearly favored low scoring. With the course setup primed for fireworks, patience and avoidance of missteps will be critical. Ghim’s tee-to-green performance sets the tone, but his putting could determine if he stays clear of the pack.
Round 2 Pairings & Tee Times
The second round at TPC Deere Run tees off on July 4. The top-of-the-leaderboard groups are set to hit the course in the afternoon, setting the stage for more early fireworks.
Below is the complete schedule in Eastern Time:
Tee No. 1
7:45 a.m. – Kyle Stanley, James Hahn, Henrik Norlander
7:56 a.m. – Mark Hubbard, Sam Ryder, Zac Blair
8:07 a.m. – Adam Hadwin, Bronson Burgoon, Carson Young
8:18 a.m. – Camilo Villegas, Lee Hodges, Nick Hardy
8:29 a.m. – Kurt Kitayama, Brandt Snedeker, Aaron Wise
8:40 a.m. – Patton Kizzire, Taylor Moore, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
8:51 a.m. – Eric Cole, Will Gordon, Chandler Phillips
9:02 a.m. – Greyson Sigg, Chan Kim, Sami Valimaki
9:13 a.m. – Alex Smalley, Ben Silverman, Kris Ventura
9:24 a.m. – Trace Crowe, Noah Goodwin, Mason Andersen
9:35 a.m. – Taylor Montgomery, Nicholas Lindheim, Jay Giannetto
9:46 a.m. – Hayden Springer, Jeremy Paul, Michael La Sasso (a)
9:57 a.m. – Paul Waring, Tim Widing, Josh Radcliff
1:05 p.m. – Kevin Kisner, Hayden Buckley, Jacob Bridgeman
1:16 p.m. – Denny McCarthy, Harry Higgs, Alejandro Tosti
1:27 p.m. – Chad Ramey, Keith Mitchell, Vince Whaley
1:38 p.m. – Stephan Jaeger, Si Woo Kim, Sungjae Im
1:49 p.m. – J.T. Poston, Chris Kirk, Michael Kim
2:00 p.m. – Jake Knapp, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa
2:11 p.m. – Matt McCarty, Nick Dunlap, Chris Gotterup
2:22 p.m. – Cameron Champ, Danny Willett, Victor Perez
2:33 p.m. – Chesson Hadley, Ryan Gerard, Jackson Suber
2:44 p.m. – Kevin Velo, Vince Covello, David Ford
2:55 p.m. – Anders Albertson, Rikuya Hoshino, Luke Clanton
3:06 p.m. – Thriston Lawrence, Pierceson Coody, Petr Hruby
3:17 p.m. – Frankie Capan III, William Mouw, Brendan Valdes
Tee No. 10
7:45 a.m. – Andrew Putnam, Bud Cauley, Max McGreevy
7:56 a.m. – Dylan Frittelli, Austin Cook, Rico Hoey
8:07 a.m. – Ben Martin, Dylan Wu, David Skinns
8:18 a.m. – Karl Vilips, Nico Echavarria, Tom Kim
8:29 a.m. – Davis Thompson, Lucas Glover, Jason Day
8:40 a.m. – Aldrich Potgieter, Ben Griffin, Michael Thorbjornsen
8:51 a.m. – Joe Highsmith, Brian Campbell, Zach Johnson
9:02 a.m. – Lanto Griffin, Patrick Fishburn, Mac Meissner
9:13 a.m. – Nate Lashley, Matt NeSmith, Thorbjørn Olesen
9:24 a.m. – Quade Cummins, John Pak, Thomas Rosenmueller
9:35 a.m. – Will Chandler, Taylor Dickson, Braden Thornberry
9:46 a.m. – Philip Knowles, Gordon Sargent, Jackson Koivun (a)
9:57 a.m. – Harrison Endycott, Trevor Cone, Carson Herron
1:05 p.m. – Trey Mullinax, Beau Hossler, David Lipsky
1:16 p.m. – Ryan Palmer, Doug Ghim, Ryo Hisatsune
1:27 p.m. – Joel Dahmen, Sam Stevens, Justin Lower
1:38 p.m. – Rafael Campos, Emiliano Grillo, Adam Schenk
1:49 p.m. – Austin Eckroat, Adam Svensson, Seamus Power
2:00 p.m. – Garrick Higgo, Brice Garnett, Matt Kuchar
2:11 p.m. – Kevin Yu, Peter Malnati, Luke List
2:22 p.m. – Patrick Rodgers, Joseph Bramlett, Ben Kohles
2:33 p.m. – Martin Laird, Kevin Roy, Isaiah Salinda
2:44 p.m. – Ricky Castillo, Paul Peterson, Cristobal Del Solar
2:55 p.m. – Jesper Svensson, Brandon Matthews, Zack Fischer
3:06 p.m. – Kaito Onishi, Steven Fisk, Preston Summerhays
3:17 p.m. – Takumi Kanaya, Matthew Riedel, Ben James (a)
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