5:20 p.m. – The third round of the John Deere Classic ends and so does the rain.
It figures.
And the round ends with a familiar name atop the leaderboard as Sebastian Munoz – for the third day in a row – leads the $6.2 million PGA Tour event at TPC Deere Run.
The 28-year-old Columbian looking for his second Tour win shot a 4-under 67 and will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday's final round.
Starting Sunday a stroke back will be Brandon Hagy (67-64-67—198).
Behind them, things are interesting with five players at 14-under, including 2016 JDC champ Ryan Moore. Four more players are at 13-under, three are at 12-under, seven at 11-under and seven more at 10-under.
Munoz had an up-and-down start to his Saturday round. He started with two early birdies, but gave those back with bogeys at homes 4 and 6. Four birdies in his final 11 holes, along with some really nice par saves, kept him atop the 72-player weekend field.
People are also reading…
3:30 p.m. — On Saturday afternoon, the John Deere Classic remains wide open. Six players sit tied for first at 14-under. Scott Brown and Adam Long are done for the day at 14-under. Adam Long briefly held a one-stroke lead after three straight birdies, but a bogey on 18 ended the run. Cameron Champ (thru 16), Lucas Glover (thru 13), Brandon Hagy (thru 13), and Sebastian Munoz (thru 12), are also tied for the lead at 14-under. Nine more players are two strokes off the lead.
2 p.m. – The rain has picked up and scoring has leveled out a bit in the third round of the John Deere Classic.
Scott Brown, though, is bucking that trend as he continues to blister the par-71 TPC Deere Run layout to take the solo lead at 14-under.
He is 8-under for his round and that includes a bogey on the par-5 second hole which has played the easiest this week.
The 38-year-old looking for his second PGA Tour victory made the turn in 3-under with a birdie on the tough par-4 ninth and then rattled off five birdies on his first six holes on the back nine. That included one on the tough par-4 15th thanks to a 202-yard approach he dropped to just under 10 feet and made the putt.
The top of the leaderboard remains packed. Most of those players who had reached 13-under are still there as six are tied for second place. Four more at 12-under, seven are 11-under and six more at 10-under.
That means 26 players are double-digits under par and still in the hunt.
2:30 p.m. – Oh, baby are things getting interesting at the John Deere Classic.
With nuisance rain drops falling at TPC Deere Run, so are the birdies as guys shoot up the leaderboard, taking advantage of perfect scoring conditions and perfect greens.
Starting with a par on No. 1, Luke List has been joined at the top by 2016 JDC champ Ryan Moore and Cameron Champ.
Moore is 2-under through three holes and Champ, who has the best round of the day going, is 5-under through six holes. He has birdied every hole but the par-4 fifth.
Six more players are at 12-under as this sentence is written, five are at 11-under and seven more are at 10-under.
But that will change. Just you watch.
This freeway pileup at the top is going to be interesting to watch, so buckle in!
10:30 a.m. – Maybe nobody is as glad to see golf action at TPC Deere Run this morning more than Alex Stuedemann.
The Deere Run superintendent and his staff dodged a huge bullet overnight as the storms that were predicted for the area missed the Silvis facility for the most part. He reported this morning that only a quarter inch of rain fell across the property, making it a normal morning routine to get the par-71 layout ready for third round action of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic.
In anticipation of wet weather, tee times were adjusted so action has just started at Deere Run.
Players are starting off both tees and playing in threesomes rather than the normal weekend procedure of twosomes all starting on hole No. 1.
The final group of the day, leaders Luke List (13-under), Sebastian Munoz (12-under) and Adam Schenk (11-under) will tee off No. 1 at 12:10 p.m.
Local favorite and 2012 JDC champ Zach Johnson just started his round. Three-time JDC winner Steve Stricker is about to tee off. Both at 6-under, they started off No. 10 tee.
