Lucas Glover and Zac Blair wasted no time making their presence felt Thursday, each firing an impressive 8-under-par 63 to grab an early share of the lead at the John Deere Classic as the PGA Tour enters its crucial final stretch before the FedExCup Playoffs.

For both players, the strong start could not have come at a better time.

Glover currently sits at No. 119 in the FedExCup standings, dangerously close to missing out as the season winds down. The former US Open champion is also nearing the end of the exemption he earned after his remarkable back-to-back victories in 2023, including a playoff event.

Blair, meanwhile, finds himself even deeper down at No. 160, splitting time between PGA Tour starts and Korn Ferry Tour events while fighting to stay relevant.

“Playing golf professionally is pretty stressful, especially for me,” Blair admitted. “I’ve kind of always been right in that 125 to 150 spot my whole career. So every start is important. Just trying to do a good job of playing well, whichever kind of tour I’m playing on. It’s still golf at the end of the day, which is fun.”

Glover’s season has been far from ideal after beginning the year recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, making his opening-round 63 an encouraging sign that his game may finally be trending upward.

Adding to the confidence was returning to a course filled with good memories.

“Even struggling like I have this year, you pull down the driveway somewhere you’ve had success, it gives you a good feeling. Yeah, always liked it here,” Glover said.

Not far behind was Zach Johnson, who proved once again that some tournaments simply mean more than rankings or majors.

The Iowa native skipped three major championships to compete at the John Deere Classic, an event that holds deep personal significance for the 50-year-old veteran. Johnson rewarded that decision with a 7-under 64, finishing just one shot off the lead.

Now in his first season on the PGA Tour Champions — where he has already won twice — Johnson said there was never any real debate about where he wanted to play this week, choosing Deere Run over the US Senior Open in Ohio.

He produced one of the day’s biggest highlights by draining a 45-foot eagle putt from off the green on the par-5 17th before closing with a birdie after sticking his approach to 12 feet.

“I just love being here, and I’m comfortable, obviously,” said Johnson, who won the John Deere Classic in 2012. “My scorecard... I know that’s an ingredient this week, but it’s not everything. I can’t stress it enough. I’m just appreciative of having a partnership with John Deere and feeling like a long, long-distance son to this area. A lot of affinity, a lot of affection.”

Johnson is also bypassing both The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale — despite still holding a 10-year exemption — and the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Gleneagles. Instead, he plans to play next week’s senior major at Firestone, saying he simply did not want to commit to four straight weeks of competition.

Also carding 64s were Stephan Jaeger and Lee Hodges.

Jaeger, currently ranked No. 60 in the FedExCup standings, is focused on staying inside the top 70 over the next six weeks to secure a postseason berth, while also keeping an eye on this week’s BMW International Open in Munich, being played at his home course in Eichenried.

Jordan Spieth, making only his second John Deere Classic appearance since winning the tournament in 2015, struggled to build momentum. A costly double bogey on the 18th in the middle of his round, followed by a closing bogey, left him with a disappointing 69.

As expected at TPC Deere Run, scoring conditions were favorable, with 20 players finishing at 66 or better.

Among them was NCAA champion Preston Stout, who officially becomes the world’s No. 1 amateur following Jackson Koivun’s decision to turn professional.

Koivun, however, endured a rough start in his professional debut, stumbling to a 73 and leaving himself in serious danger of missing the cut.