Jhonattan Vegas opens up lead with 62 at John Deere Classic
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SILVIS, ILLINOIS - JULY 12: Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela plays his shot from the 13th tee during the second round of the John Deere Classic Austen Truslow TPC Deere Run on July 12, 2019 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
A second straight Presidents Cup berth is in his sights
Jhonattan Vegas sticks approach to set up birdie at John Deere
SILVIS, Ill. – It’s been nearly two years since Jhonattan Vegas became the first Venezuelan to play in the Presidents Cup, unleashing fiery fist pumps and providing one of the few highlights for the International Team with a singles victory over Jordan Spieth at Liberty National.
He desperately wants to get back for the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, Dec. 12-15, and while he came into the John Deere Classic at 26th in the International standings, he stands to make a big move in the right direction. Vegas shot a second-round 62 that left him with a three-shot lead after the morning wave at TPC Deere Run on Friday.
“I had such a tremendous time there playing in that Presidents Cup that I definitely want to play in this one,” said Vegas, who hit nine of 14 fairways, and 16 greens in regulation. “Especially playing for Ernie, such a big guy for us Internationals, and it would be amazing to be a part of it. I've got to step it up these next few weeks and hopefully give myself a chance.”
Vegas’ career-best FedExCup finish is 23rd, in 2017, so at 70th in this year’s standings, it isn’t as if he’s fallen off the map. You might recall he made one of the most amazing putts of the year, a double-breaking, coast-to-coast job on the iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, as he finished T3 at THE PLAYERS Championship. He finished T8 at the Wells Fargo Championship.
No, it’s just that Vegas, 34, has felt slightly off with his ball-striking all year and couldn’t figure out what was wrong. That is, until he was on the range after his opening round here and made a slight adjustment in his posture over the ball. Something clicked.
He brought it to the course Friday, and it continued to work like magic.
“Probably the best I've felt all year, to be honest,” he said after taking just 26 putts for nine birdies and no bogeys. “I mean, I hit the ball extremely well, kind of what I've been struggling with a little bit the past few months. … I'm glad that stuff is back.”
Vegas made over 117 feet of putts and was first in Strokes Gained: Putting. His 62 was two shy of his career low, a second-round 60 at the 2016 Barbasol Championship. Not bad, considering he hasn’t played the Deere since 2015 (T44). He tied for third at TPC Deere Run in 2014.
The Deere is the last chance for those not yet in the field at The Open Championship next week, and as it stands now Vegas would nab the final spot on offer. With two more good rounds, he would also solidify his position in the race for the FedExCup, which will take on added significance this year. Vegas’ wife, Hildegard, is due with the couple’s second child, a son, during the week of The Northern Trust, the first event of the Playoffs.
“I told Ru (Ruben Yorio), my caddie, that it's been a long time since I've felt this good,” Vegas said. “I've been working really hard the whole year to kind of feel good with my ball-striking, and found something yesterday on the range, and it was so good to carry it through to today, and it paid off, so hopefully we can continue that the next two days.”
Cameron Morfit began covering the PGA TOUR with Sports Illustrated in 1997, and after a long stretch at Golf Magazine and golf.com joined PGATOUR.COM as a Staff Writer in 2016. Follow Cameron Morfit on Twitter.