John Deere Classic 2025 First-Round Leader Tips: Trio to back from 70/1 to 250/1

• 80/181.00 Sami Valimaki shot an opening 61 in this event last year

• 70/171.00 Kevin Roy has twice fired a first-round 62 this season

• 250/1251.00 Cristobal Del Solar shot a 57 on the Korn Ferry last year

Weather forecast for Thursday

While it could get a little gusty on the weekend, winds are fairly modest for round one.

They're around 5mph in the morning and 10mph after lunchtime.

Temperatures start in the 70s for the very early tee-times and then tip 90 throughout the afternoon.

Up until last year, a 62 had been required to win this market in four of the previous five editions (63 in the other) but in 2024 Hayden Springer took it to new levels and fired a 59 in the afternoon.

Sami Valimaki @ 80/181.00

Sami Valimaki shot a 61 on his first ever lap of TPC Deere Run last year although it didn't get the attention it deserved due to Springer's 59.

He added laps of 65 and 66 on the weekend to finish 12th so clearly the Finn gets on well with this par 71.

With five top 20s in his last nine starts he's having a good season and that fine run includes a closing 62 that earned him fourth place in the Houston Open.

An opening 63 in the Cognizant Classic is evidence of another low one on a Thursday and hopefully four rounds in the 60s when 19th in last week's Rocket Classic set him up to hit the birdie trail again on day one here.

The 80/181.00 (1/4, 5 Places) shot tees off at 1.22pm local.

Kevin Roy @ 70/171.00

Kevin Roy has appeared on the radar in recent weeks due to three top 20s in his last five events.

The latest two are 18th at the Canadian Open and eighth in the Rocket Classic on Sunday.

But he's also the man who has twice started with a 62 this season.

The first came at the Puerto Rico Open where he finished sixth and the second was at Detroit GC last Thursday. Both secured him a piece of the first-round lead.

And if you think he's used his round one mojo up, that's not how it works.

Check Keith Mitchell's first-round positions from earlier this season: 1-1-2-2-28-1 in a six tournament spell. Fast starts can breed further fast starts.

Roy, who also fired a Saturday 64 in Canada two tournaments ago, made his only appearance in this event in 2023 when 31st and in his round scores you'll find a 63.

A morning starter at 8.13am, back Roy at 70/171.00.

Cristobal Del Solar @ 250/1251.00

Hayden Springer and Paul Goydos both joined the 59 club by shooting sub-60 rounds in this event.

But there's a player on show this week who once carded an astonishing 57.

The man in question is Chile's Cristobal Del Solar and his 13-under round in the Korn Ferry's Astara Golf Championship in Colombia last year is the lowest score ever in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

And, yes, he posted it on day one.

"Mr 57" also won a Korn Ferry event with a 22-under total in the summer of 2024 but let's bring his low-scoring exploits up to date with more recent examples.

Just two starts ago, the 31-year-old blasted a 61 (he flirted with a 59) to lead after 18 holes of the Canadian Open while in his previous PGA Tour appearance he was the 36-hole leader at the Myrtle Beach Classic after rounds of 65-67.

In short, he's absolutely worth a dart at 250/1251.00 from his 08.24 tee-time.

*You can follow me on Twitter @DaveTindallgolf

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