C.T. Pan preps for Olympics return with strong start at John Deere Classic

SILVIS, Ill. – It was a toss-up as to what C.T. Pan was most looking forward to after forging his way to the top of the John Deere Classic leaderboard with a stellar 8-under 63 in the windswept morning draw on Friday at TPC Deere Run.

There’s the forthcoming chance to improve on the bronze medal he won at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.

Or a long afternoon nap.

“I had a terrible sleep last night,” the seventh-year TOUR veteran from Chinese Taipei conceded after a bogey-free Friday round that included six birdies and a 98-foot, hole-out eagle at the par-4 14th. “I had a really serious conversation with my Olympic Committee just trying to figure out all the arrangements. Did not go well. I can tell you that. I didn’t sleep well.”

His Friday golf went great.

“I’m actually impressed by myself,” said Pan, who backed up a Thursday 6-under 65 to reach 14-under for the tournament, good for a share of the lead with Aaron Rai at the close of the morning draw. “It’s pretty tough out there when the wind picks up to 15, 20 mph. It’s been a while since I shot 63. So this is a good week so far.”

A strong finish come Sunday will go a long way to improving the 116th-place FedExCup standing Pan brought to TPC Deere Run. The 2019 RBC Heritage winner’s only top-10 finish this year was a T3 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, and he's looking to get his game into shape in advance of the Paris Olympics Aug. 1-4.

“That’s the biggest event for my country and myself, also. And it would be really cool to play well at an event that only happens once every four years,” he said.

Pan will be teeing it up in the Games for the third straight time, fueled by memories of winning a four-hole playoff in Tokyo over a stellar group that included major champions Rory McIIroy, Hideki Matsuyama and Collin Morikawa.

“That was quite an experience,” he said. “You’d never had a playoff in golf for third place and with seven guys in it. Superstars in it, too. I mean that’s definitely a story when I’m old I’ll tell the little kids. Bronze medal on the line. It was a special memory.”

Before Paris comes the chance to finish strong against a John Deere Classic field that includes 11 other Olympians: Sepp Straka (Austria), Camilo Villegas and Nico Echavarria (Colombia), Jason Day (Australia), Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark), Alejandro Tosti (Argentina), Sami Valimaki (Finland), Carl Yuan (China), Adrien Dumont de Chassart (Belgium), Rafael Campos (Puerto Rico) and Chinese Taipei teammate Kevin Yu.

Following a Friday nap, of course.