Moving Day at the 2025 John Deere Classic featured some chaos as there were eight players tied for the lead at one point as gusty winds made it difficult to score. However, as the final groups made their way around TPC Deere Run, five players created some separation from the pack with the reigning champion back atop the field.
Davis Thompson looks to become the first man to go back-to-back at TPC Deere Run since Steve Stricker won the event three consecutive years from 2009-11. Thompson made a couple of scratchy bogeys on the front nine as he hit the turn even on his day, but he found an extra gear on the back side. The 2024 winner went 4 under on his back nine, including consecutive birdies to close out his round to post 67 and take the solo lead at 15 under in his bid.
Behind him is a group of four players who will aim to spoil Thompson's repeat bid. Max Homa is the headliner of that group at 14 under, the six-time PGA Tour winner looking for his first win in more than two years. Homa spent much of the last two seasons searching for the form that made him a rising star, changing just about everything about his game, including his swing, equipment, caddie and clothing. The results have been spotty, but this week we've finally seen Homa enjoying himself on the golf course.
After his first-round 63, Homa pointed to his great play off the tee, and he's carried over that excellent performance with the driver through the third round. Homa is top five in strokes gained off the tee, and when coupled with his always-solid iron play, he's given himself a fantastic chance to get his first win since early 2023. he will hope to get the putter warmed up Sunday, though, as he couldn't make much of anything from distance in windy conditions on Saturday. Either way, Homa finding himself among the final tee times in Round 4 of a golf tournament has got to be a positive feeling.
Joining Homa chasing Thompson are David Lipsky, Emiliano Grillo and Brian Campbell. Both Grillo and Campbell birdied the 18th on Saturday to get into that tie for second, while Lipsky held a share of the lead for most of the day before getting passed by Thompson at the end of the third round. With that flurry to the finish from the final groups, there's a two-shot cushion for the group tied for fifth over the next four on the leaderboard at 12 under.
Last week was a battle of nerves at the Rocket Classic, and we'll see if this group at the top can handle their to keep that distance between themselves and the rest of the field. Thompson should have plenty of confidence having won last year on this same course, and that comfort could prove to be incredibly important. Campbell has a win already this year, Homa is a six-time winner, and Grillo is a two-time winner, leaving Lipsky as the only truly unproven player in that top five.
The leader
1. Davis Thompson (-15): Last year, Thompson shot a final-round 64 as the 54-hole leader to win by four shots. Those chasing him will have to believe he's not going to melt under the pressure of being the leader this year if he handled himself that well a year ago. That said, Thompson may need to replicate that performance if he's going to hoist the big deer trophy again Sunday afternoon. The winds are not supposed to be as big a factor as they were Saturday, and the rain the course will receive this evening should create some incredible scoring conditions for the final round.
Contenders
T2. Max Homa, David Lipsky, Brian Campbell, Emiliano Grillo (-14)
T6. Kurt Kitayama, Austin Eckroat, Seamus Power, Camilo Villegas (-12)
T10. Matt Kuchar, Chris Gotterup, Jackson Koivun, Cameron Champ and Kevin Roy (-11)
Given the scoring conditions that should be out there, it's hard to imagine someone will be able to come from much more than four off the pace to win. Someone in this group ought to go low to apply some pressure to Thompson. Homa showed Thursday that he can be that guy with his opening 63. He's been one of the longest and most accurate players off the tee this week, and if he can cash in a few from 10-15 feet on the greens, he could absolutely chase Thompson down for his seventh career victory.
Kitayama's 66 was the round of the day to vault himself into the mix, but he'll likely need to best that by a shot or two to have a chance Sunday. Champ and Roy were in the lead at various points Saturday but could not close out the round positively and find themselves with lots of work to do if they're going to get in the winner's circle.
2025 John Deere Classic updated odds, picks
Odds via BetMGM
- Davis Thompson (9/4)
- Max Homa (9/2)
- Emiliano Grillo (5-1)
- Brian Campbell (9-1)
- David Lipsky (10-1)
Homa will, unquestionably, be the most popular pick going into Sunday, but this feels like Thompson's week to go back-to-back. While Campbell lacks the length off the tee of Thompson and Homa, he's been so steady all week with his iron play and putting that he has some value at 9-1.
