Luke List is the 36-hole leader in the John Deere Classic after a barrage of birdies.

SILVIS, Ill. — Asked, per his mother’s suggestion. And answered with practiced caution, just as you might expect from a young man who carried a 3.6 GPA at Duke University. The question put to Alex Smalley was this: Who is a better caddie, his mother Maria, who has carried and carted his bag since the talented North Carolinian turned professional after competing on the 2019 Arnold Palmer and Walker Cup teams; or his father, Terry, who carried throughout his junior career? “I'll decline to comment,” Smalley slyly responded. Thursday at TPC Deere Run, the son let his clubs do the talking as Mom and Dad watched from outside the ropes. The former Duke standout followed a successful Monday qualifying round at nearby Oakwood Country Club with a steady five-birdie, one-bogey round of 67 in the opening round of the 50th John Deere Classic. The promising start puts the 24-year-old Smalley in good position to play on a PGA TOUR weekend for the third time in as many opportunities as a pro. He previously cashed in successive starts at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship, where he posted a T22 earlier this year and a T14 in 2020. Smalley took to Deere Run with confidence, and with the benefit Don Donatello, a veteran of 23 TOUR seasons and countless trips around the Silvis course, at his side. “I knew the first couple holes might take me a little while to settle in,” said Smalley, who hit 83 percent of the greens while averaging 306 yards off the tee. “Thankfully I've played in a couple of these already, so I kind of knew what the deal was. Hit a lot of good shots, had a lot of good looks. So, it was mostly stress free for the day.” Smalley’s solid round follows consecutive top 5 finishes on the Forme Tour, the eight-event U.S. circuit that this year is providing U.S.-based players a route to the Korn Ferry TOUR Qualifying Tournament with PGA TOUR Canada off-limits due to COVID-19 restrictions. That’s why the caddie who watched him those performances was unsurprised by Smalley’s morning round at the JDC. “We know what he’s capable of,” Maria Smalley said. “He’s been playing really well.” Donatello was unsurprised, as well. Contacted Monday evening at his home in Orlando by Smalley’s agent, Christopher Kosiba, he arrived in the Quad Cities at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, and joined Smalley for an early morning practice round just a few hours later. “I knew the kid was pretty special right off the bat,” said the caddie, who got his start on TOUR with Chris DiMarco in 1998 and experienced recent success with Will Gordon and Adam Schenk. “You could tell just the way his demeanor is and just the way he acts. He acts like he belongs here.” Smalley has the pedigree to belie that self-belief. As an amateur in 2018 and 2019, he became the first player since Rickie Fowler to win back-to-back Sunnehanna Amateurs, was the stroke-play medalist at the 2016 U.S. Amateur with a 65-68—133 total that was a shot shy of the record, and qualified for the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. Little wonder teeing it up on TOUR is less than intimidating. “Yeah, I feel like I belong,” he said. “I've seen a lot of the guys I've competed with who have done well out here. There's a lot of young guns out there that are doing really well, and just hope to follow in their footsteps.” Smalley said Donatello’s course knowledge was a definite asset on Thursday. “He's seen all the winds out here, so there were a couple times where it was hard to feel where the wind was coming from in the trees, and he told me just to trust it, it's up there,” Smalley said. “And he's got all of his notes from previous years. So, it's nice to have that kind of reinforcement and experience on the bag.” That’s not to say Mom is out of a job. At least, not as far as she knows. “No. No,” Maria said. “He gave me the week off because we did so well the last couple of weeks.”

Colombia's Sebastian Munoz stormed to a share of the first-round lead at the US PGA Tour John Deere Classic on Thursday with birdies at his final five holes.

SILVIS, Ill. -- Sebastian Munoz never knows when the switch will come on and the putts start to fall, but he recognized it happening Thursday in the John Deere Classic. Munoz was motoring along when he closed with five straight birdies at the TPC Deere Run for an 8-under 63, turning a solid day into a share of the lead with Chesson Hadley. "I just go blank, to be honest," Munoz said. "It's funny because when I make a lot of birdies, I usually play a little more safe and pick my spots. I have like 10-, 12-footers and they start to drop. That's what I did today. And that's where we're at." Hadley was on the other side of the course, finishing on the front nine. It wasn't nearly as spectacular, but he played bogey-free and had back-to-back birdies on three occasions. He was helped by making three of his birdies from 25 feet. Hank Lebioda, who finished one shot out of the playoff last week in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, was poised to join them. He was 7 under through 12 holes and tied the lead with a tee shot on the 213-yard seventh hole that stopped 20 inches from the cup. But he missed the fairway to the right on the par-4 ninth, chose to pitch back to the fairway and hit a wedge to 6 feet below the cup. He missed the par putt and had to settle for a 64. Chez Reavie and Camilo Villegas, who played in the morning, also were at 64. Scoring was so good in immaculate conditions that nearly half the field broke 70. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, who chose to play in the 50th anniversary of the John Deere Classic instead of defending his title in the U.S. Senior Open, got off to a sluggish start until he rallied with a few birdies on the front nine for a 70. That will leave the three-time John Deere champion some work to do Friday afternoon to make the cut. But at least Stricker gets a little more sleep for that 54-year-old body. "I'm not used to getting up at 5 in the morning anymore to play," Stricker said. "And I kind of played like I was still asleep for a while. Righted the ship a little bit. A little disappointed that I didn't capitalize on a few more of those coming in." The leading player from among the top five at the end of the week earns a trip to the Open Championship if he's not already exempt. Munoz is in the field next week at Royal St. George's. Hadley is not, though with so many low scores, it will take two more days to sort that out. Cam Davis, a playoff winner in Detroit last week, had to turn down his spot in the Open. Kevin Na decided to withdraw because of travel requirements in place for family members, and next on the reserve list was Davis. One problem. The Australian can't travel overseas. He got married last September, lives with his American-born wife in Seattle and decided to start the process of getting a green card for ease of travel overseas and going home to Australia. He's at the stage now where he can't go overseas until he gets a temporary card. He knew that even before winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic. And he will get by. The emotions of winning for the first time can take a toll. Davis wasn't sure if he would continue his good form or run out of gas. Thursday was a little of both. He holed an 8-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second and reached 6 under through 11 holes, only to play 2 over the rest of the way for a respectable 67. "I'm looking forward to seeing my family and celebrating back in Seattle next week and recharging a little bit because this week is already a bit of a grind to get through," Davis said. "I'm pretty tired. It'll be nice to relax."

Taylor Moore opened with a 63 at the nearly 8,000-yard TPC Colorado Championship, tying the course record.

Everything you need to know for Friday's second round at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.