Jordan Spieth survived the cut at the John Deere Classic at 3 under after three back-nine birdies on Friday. Zac Blair was not part of the field, but the round still turned into a survival test for Spieth as the cut line sent only 80 players on to Saturday at TPC Deere Run.
He got there the hard way. Spieth had to finish with birdies on the back nine to stay inside the number, then said, “The problem was I had made so many bad swings I was protecting from right.”
That left him in the same group of players who escaped by a shot or two, including Keegan Bradley. It also put him ahead of the players who did not, with Brian Campbell, Dylan Frittelli and Michael Kim all missing the weekend.
Jackson Koivun’s first professional start ended on the wrong side of the line at 1-over 142. He shot a 1-under 70 on Friday after opening with a higher score the previous round, and his path now shifts to the ISCO Championship in Louisville, Kentucky in search of his first professional made cut.
John Deere Classic cut line
The number was tight enough that the margin mattered on every late swing. Spieth, a two-time John Deere winner, finished at 3 under after his Friday scramble, while Brian Campbell ended at 1-over 142, four back of the cutline, as the defending champion headed home early.
Ben Griffin added another move up the board with a second-round 65, climbing 40 spots. Eric Cole posted an 8-under 63 after PXG overnighted him a new set of irons, and his round included a pair of eagles.
Jackson Koivun debut
Koivun’s debut carried extra weight because he had finished T11 at the John Deere Classic a year ago. This time, the weekend arrived without him, even as he backed up with a cleaner Friday round than his opener.
The field also had players higher on the leaderboard such as Chris Gotterup, Max Homa, Tom Kim, Jacob Bridgeman, Tony Finau and J.T. Poston. Spieth’s cut-line save, Koivun’s miss and Campbell’s exit were the sharpest split in the day’s results.
TPC Deere Run pressure
TPC Deere Run added its own pressure. The lengthened par-4 fourth hole, reshaped after the Hewitt Tree was replaced by left and right bunkering, played to a 3.909 average in 2025, while this week’s average through two rounds was 4.199, making it the second most challenging hole.
For Spieth, the work was survival, not style. For Koivun, the next chance comes in Louisville, where he will try again to turn a pro start into a made cut.
