The cut line at the 2026 John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run settled at 3-under par, delivering plenty of drama after Friday’s round.
Two-time champion Jordan Spieth battled his way into the weekend while defending champion Brian Campbell and several notable names saw their tournaments come to an early end.
The cut was a notable shift from the record-low 5-under cut line seen over each of the previous two editions of the tournament. Tougher course conditions, highlighted by a revamped fourth hole, proved enough to separate the field after 36 holes.
Lucas Glover currently holds the lead at 14-under par, with Lee Hodges trailing just two strokes behind as the tournament heads into the weekend.
Jordan Spieth Grinds His Way into the Weekend
Spieth’s second round looked to be slipping away early before the former champion found just enough birdies on the back nine to survive right on the number at 3-under.
His day appeared to unravel with a bogey on the par-5 10th after pulling his approach into the native area. Despite the costly mistake, Spieth said the shot itself wasn’t the problem.
“It was actually one of my better swings of the day,” Spieth said. “The problem was I had made so many bad swings I was protecting from right. So no, I just wanted to try to make good swings. And if it was going to work out, it was going to work out. If not, then it wasn’t meant to be”
Griffin fired a second-round 65 to vault 40 spots up the leaderboard and position himself firmly in contention heading into Moving Day.
Making his professional debut, former world No. 1 amateur Jackson Koivun couldn’t produce a similar comeback. After opening with a 73, Koivun improved with a 1-under 70 on Friday but finished at 1-over for the championship, four shots outside the cut line. According to PGA Tour, the missed cut comes one year after he finished tied for 11th at TPC Deere Run as an amateur.
Defending Champion Among Notable Casualties
Campbell’s title defense ended after just two rounds.
The reigning champion opened with a solid 1-under 70, but couldn’t maintain momentum on Friday. He reached the turn at 2-over for the day, managed just one birdie on the inward nine, and signed for a 72 to finish at even-par 142.
Campbell wasn’t the only former John Deere Classic winner heading home early. Dylan Frittelli, champion in 2019, also missed the cut at 1-under, while 2013 winner Michael Kim finished at even par to miss weekend play.
Other recognizable names failing to advance included Daniel Berger, Dylan Wu, Denny McCarthy, Andrew Novak, Taylor Pendrith, Luke Clanton, Adam Svensson, Max Greyserman, Aldrich Potgieter, Neal Shipley, and Cameron Champ.
Among the biggest surprises was Berger, who entered the week inside the top 50 in the FedExCup standings but finished at 2-under, one shot shy of advancing. Fellow top-50 player Sudarshan Yellamaraju also narrowly missed the weekend, meaning only eight of the 10 top-50 FedExCup players in the field advanced.
Late Charge Highlights Friday Action
Eric Cole nearly authored one of the biggest turnarounds of the tournament after receiving a new set of irons overnight from PXG.
Following an opening-round 76, Cole exploded for an 8-under 63 that featured two eagles, climbing all the way to the cut line before ultimately coming up just short.
“It was just like I kind of had nothing to lose,” Cole said. “Yeah. It was a good day.”
Keegan Bradley also had to sweat out the cut but successfully advanced at 3-under, ensuring another marquee name will be around for the final 36 holes.
Meanwhile, several contenders positioned themselves well entering the weekend, including Chris Gotterup, Max Homa, Tom Kim, Jacob Bridgeman, Tony Finau and 2022 John Deere Classic champion J.T. Poston.
Tougher TPC Deere Run Setup Raises the Cut Line
The higher cut line compared to the previous two years wasn’t entirely surprising.
TPC Deere Run introduced a significant change to its par-4 fourth hole after the removal of the iconic Hewitt Tree due to disease.
The redesigned hole now features strategically placed bunkers approximately 300 yards from a new tee that stretched the hole by roughly 50 yards, forcing players to decide between challenging the hazards off the tee or laying back for a longer approach into a narrow green.
The numbers reflected the increased difficulty. After playing to a scoring average of 3.909 last season, the fourth hole averaged 4.199 strokes through the opening two rounds this week, making it the second-toughest hole on the golf course.
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