Spieth leads by 2 after career-best 61 at John Deere

Jordan Spieth hugs his grandfather Bob Julius after shooting a 61 in the third round of the John Deere Classic to take a two-shot lead over Danny Lee.
Jordan Spieth hugs his grandfather Bob Julius after shooting a 61 in the third round of the John Deere Classic to take a two-shot lead over Danny Lee.

SILVIS, Ill. -- Jordan Spieth's tee shot on the par-5 17th hole landed in the trees.

Spieth's second shot landed in the fairway.

His third one landed in the hole.

Spieth's decision to spurn Scotland for the John Deere Classic looks more prescient with each passing round.

Spieth, bolstered by a 106-yard eagle on No. 17, shot a career-best 10-under 61 in the third round Saturday to grab a two-shot lead.

"With some good breaks and really good putting, a round like (Saturday) comes together," said Spieth, who will go for his third consecutive major title next week at the British Open.

Spieth was at 17-under 196 after the best round of the tournament since Steve Stricker shot a 60 five years ago. Danny Lee is second after shooting a 62, followed by Shawn Stefani, Justin Thomas and Johnson Wagner at 14 under.

The round was suspended for close to three hours because of two weather-related delays.

The rain made the course even softer than usual, setting the stage for the low scores.

No one took advantage of the favorable conditions more than Spieth, who has done his best to answer the critics who felt he would be better off prepping for the Open Championship in Scotland compared to Illinois.

Spieth got off to a fast start on No. 2, sticking a 260-yard approach within three feet for an eagle.

Spieth's approach on the par-4 eighth hole came so close to going in that it left a divot on the cup before spinning 10 feet forward. Spieth then converted the birdie putt.

Spieth made three more birdies on par 4s, and he hit a 12-footer on No. 16 to join Lee in first. But it was the next hole that really made Spieth's day.

He escaped trouble by putting his second shot in the fairway. He then stuck his approach with a sand wedge directly behind the cup, where it spun in to the disbelief of even Spieth -- who said he "mishit it."

"I certainly didn't think it had a chance to go in. I thought it was going past the hole," Spieth said.

But as if to prove it wasn't a fluke, Spieth sent his final tee shot of the round into the trees as well -- and still picked up a birdie.

"I had a fist pump on the last shot because walking up after the second shot I said to (caddie) Mike (Greller), 'I just saw the board and I think this is for my lowest round that I've shot on the PGA Tour,' " Spieth said. "I said that's pretty cool, and he said (that) it doesn't matter where you're at. Just keep on trekking. And I said 'Yeah, but I appreciate this and I really want to make this thing.' "

EUROPEAN PGA

Brooks leads Scottish Open

GULLANE, Scotland-- Unheralded Daniel Brooks overcame a dreadful start, an injured wrist and the toughest conditions of the week to keep his unlikely lead at the Scottish Open, after a windy third round in which Rickie Fowler surged up the leaderboard.

The 528th-ranked Brooks, who surprisingly took a three-shot lead after the second round, recovered from a double bogey on his first hole to shoot a 1-under 69 for a one-stroke advantage on 12-under 198.

Raphael Jacquelin, a Frenchman ranked No. 335, shot 64 for the lowest round of the day and was alone in second place, ahead of Joost Luiten (66), Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Fowler, who eagled the par-5 16th in a 66.

Justin Rose, the defending champion, was one of the many players to struggle as winds picked up on the Gullane links off the Firth of Forth, shooting 72 to drop from second to a tie for 18th -- six shots off fellow Englishman Brooks. The 12th-ranked Jimmy Walker made three double bogeys and a triple-bogey 8 in his front nine on his way to a 78, which left the American in last place.

A first prize of nearly $850,000 -- easily the biggest payday of his career -- and a spot at next week's British Open at St. Andrews is at stake for Brooks, 28, in what would be a life-changing victory for the Londoner. He had missed the cut at 13 consecutive tournaments before finishing tied for 20th at the French Open on Sunday.

"I have struggled all year and I need some money to keep my card," Brooks said. "It's a big day."

Brooks won the Madeira Islands Open in May 2014, a tournament restricted to 36 holes and marred by the death of a caddie, but he is in uncharted territory this week given the standard of a field looking to gain links practice ahead of the British Open.

A nervy start saw him slice his opening drive into the thick rough and he could only hack at the ball for his second shot, which moved a foot. In doing so, he jarred his wrist and he said he felt twinges throughout his round.

A six on the first hole briefly dropped him out of the lead behind Jacquelin, and he needed some clutch putts for pars on Nos. 2-4 before settling down.

"I wasn't feeling the pressure today, which is a nice feeling," Brooks said.

CHAMPIONS

Smith shoots a 64

GLENVIEW, Ill. -- Jerry Smith matched a tournament record with an 8-under-par 64 Saturday to take a three-shot lead after the second round of the Encompass Championship.

Smith is at 14-under 130 as he seeks his first professional title of any kind. Mark Goodes was second, while Bart Bryant, Fred Funk and David Frost are five strokes back.

Smith, who tied for third last week at the Seniors Swiss Open, was six under par for his first seven holes Saturday at North Shore Country Club, sinking an 11-foot eagle putt at the 579-yard, par-5 16th. He started on the back nine and shot 30.

He tied the tournament's 18-hole record set by Russ Cochran last year in this Champions Tour event.

WEB.COM

Piller controls Boise Open

BOISE, Idaho -- Martin Piller fired a six-under par 65 on Saturday and leads the Boise Open heading into today's final round.

Piller is at 24-under 189, five strokes better than Argentina's Jorge Fernandez Valdes (194).

Arkansas Razorbacks Tag Ridings and Zack Fischer are both 10 shots out of the lead at 199. Ridings was two-under on Saturday in a round that included five birdies, a bogey and a double bogey. Fischer fired a three-under 68 on Saturday in a round that included five birdies and two bogeys.

Sports on 07/12/2015

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