John Deere Classic 2023 standings, scores: Cameron Young leads with Ludvig Aberg hiding behind Round 2
Steady rain hit the Quad Cities late Friday and dampened any player thoughts about catching Cameron Young. The reigning Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour looked like he was a freshman during the first two days of the John Deere Classic 2023 and entered the later stages of the tournament with a two-stroke lead at 13 points below. .
Bursting with his play at major tournaments such as the Genesis Invitational, PGA Championship and The Open, Young is seen as a sure-fire winner in 2023. However, predictions about his march to the winners’ circle hasn’t materialized yet — that is until perhaps this week.
Aside from the two tournaments where Young finished second to Sam Burns at the WGC-Match Play and finished in the top 10 at the Masters, his season was forgettable. He arrived at TPC Deere Run without making the top 30 since his first major championship of the year and was outside looking for the US Ryder Cup team in September.
However, sometimes the player’s talent level just shines. Young didn’t do anything spectacular over 36 holes — he’s ninth in strokes from tee to green and eighth in putts (which is good for him) — but he still finds himself alone at the top. While most of the game’s elite are gearing up for the cross-pond link golf test ahead of The Open, Young aims to win the first of his career and prepare for the final big tournament. of the year in a different way.
Leader
1. Cameron Young (-13)
It seems easy for Young so far; he scored 15 birdie points against two bogeys. On paper, this is his tournament to lose, even if the odds say otherwise, as he is the one with the clearest class on the field when it comes to shooting at all turrets. He seems to have brought his A-game to TPC Deere Run, but it is the batter that will hold the keys to the kingdom. Young enters week 177 on the PGA Tour with strokes hit.
“I feel like thinking about winning isn’t — I feel like you can think about it without being a bad thing,” Young said. “I think people come here this week to win a golf tournament, and that way you all think about it right away. Obviously I’m in a better position than just being in a position to do it. you find yourself having to do it most of the week, but that really means I’m accomplishing my goals for this week and doing my job well. What can I try to keep doing.”
other candidates
T2. Adam Schenk, Garrick Higgo, Brendon Todd (-11)
T5. Ludvig Aberg, William Mouw, Denny McCarthy, Kevin Roy (-10)
9. Mark Hubbard (-9)
McCarthy was leading by six points in the first half of the second half before disaster struck in the turn. Taking a shot on the ninth and two more on the 10th par-5 as his third found the box, the 30-year-old switched from contention to hope of a successful finish. His seven birdies in his last eight holes – including five birdies in a row from 11-15 scores – prompted the world number 34 to think about early elimination. After adding this tournament to his schedule thanks to the quality of his current play, McCarthy is right there again with a chance to lift his first trophy on the PGA Tour.
Young’s simple switch
For the best players in the world, it can be as simple as a new spin or alignment thought to get back on track. For Young, the golf ball that served him so well in 2022 is back. Young played the Pro V1-X golf ball to suit the harsher conditions at courses like the Riviera and Bay Hill, where long irons require more spin to keep hitting surfaces. This week, however, he put the trusty Left Dot Pro V1 back into action, and the results are astounding.
“I just went back to the ball that I was playing with basically last year. It’s very familiar,” Young said. “I think maybe the book suits me better than what I’ve played in a short time. Yeah, it’s very familiar. It feels like I played it two weeks ago. I don’t have to relearn the whole thing.”
Aberg’s Ascension to Rome
Another week, and another announcement that Aberg will be on the European Ryder Cup Team in September. After taking the PGA Tour for the first time in his career last week, the Swede is back with craving for more. Captain Luke Donald will face a tough decision when it comes to his captaining options — especially as he sits in the front row ahead of Aberg in Detroit — and he’ll be wise to do so. Bring youth to your team.
Aberg said: “If you had told me a month ago that I would be selected for the Ryder Cup, I would not have believed you. “So obviously all I can do is prepare for every tournament as best as I can and try to execute my game plan, but we’ll see how far that goes. And if it does. come, great; otherwise, I’ll be happy anyway.”
2023 John Deere Classic updated odds and picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Cameron Young: October 19
- Adam Schenk: 2/13
- Denny McCarthy: 7-1
- Brendon Todd: 11-1
- Ludvig Aberg: 11-1
- Garrick Higgo: 12-1
- Hubbard Marking: 25-1
Consistency has paid off in recent weeks on the PGA Tour, and that trend continued into the weekend. McCarthy’s quick finish in the second round should give him his first win as a putting contest is likely to take place at TPC Deere Run. Young’s hit would cool and allow McCarthy to make more than a three-stroke shortfall.
