2023 John Deere Classic leaderboard, grades: Sepp Straka surges to win after flirting with 59 in final round

Straka turned in a career outing but narrowly held on for the win after a double bogey on the final hole as he chased history

Sepp Straka nearly became the 13th player in PGA Tour history to break 60 in the final round of the 2023 John Deere Classic on Sunday. While he ultimately came up short with a 9-under 62, Straka did not fall short of raising yet another trophy on the PGA Tour as he claimed his second career victory at TPC Deere Run.

Reaching 21 under, the big Austrian leapfrogged a bevy of competitors during the final day in Silvis, Illinois, for a two-stroke victory over Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley. In what was an unusual final few hours in the Quad Cities, Straka found himself experiencing both disappointment walking off the 72nd green and jubilation walking into the winner's circle.  

"It was pretty crazy," said Straka. "It was a little bit of a tweak in the putting setup, kept my hands up high … I'm pumped to be here."

Straka began his day three off the pace of 54-hole leader Todd but quickly closed the gap with a birdie on his opener and an eagle on the par-5 2nd. He tacked on a pair of birdies before the putter began to take over with a birdie conversion from 30 feet on the par-3 7th and another from outside 40 feet on the difficult ninth.

The 30-year-old turned in 28 with a par 5 and the easier back nine on deck. A par on the 10th was the result of conservative club selection off the tee but gave way for a scorching scoring stretch. Four birdies from Nos. 11-14 allowed Straka to reach 11 under for the day on the par 71 and put him on the inside track to post a sub-60 number as his lead ballooned to five over the final pair of Todd and Smalley.

Three straight pars set the stage for Straka's second into the par-4 finisher from the middle of the fairway. However, when Straka's approach found the water lining the green, it not only sunk his chances to break 60 but also opened the door for the two in the last group as a double bogey resulted.

"It was not a good shot," Straka told CBS Sports' Amanda Renner. "I pulled it. The wind was off the right, but I was really just trying to go middle of the green, let it feed down to the left toward the hole. I pulled it early, and then the wind dragged it over toward the water. It's unfortunate, but that was the first bad shot I hit today, so I'll give myself a little bit of slack there. I still got a chance."

Todd made his move immediately with birdies on 11 and 14 to cut Straka's lead to one. However, that was as close as the 54-hole leader would get as an ill-advised three-putt bogey from 25 feet on the par-3 16th proved to be the final nail in Todd's coffin.

This week as a whole was not as easy as Sunday for Straka. He stood on the 17th tee Thursday 3 over and in 133rd place after an opening 73. Yet he persisted, continued to battle, consistently made gains on the field and ultimately came out on top thanks to a final-round heater. Grade: A+

Here is a breakdown of the full leaderboard at the 2023 John Deere Classic

T4. Ludvig Aberg (-18): For the second straight week, Aberg entered the latter stages of a tournament in contention. Unfortunately, for the second straight week, the young Swede fell off the pace on Moving Day, this time with an even-par 71. He bounced back in emphatic fashion, carding six birdies and an eagle against zero bogeys to surge up the Sunday leaderboard. Aberg travels to the Scottish Open and will need a massive effort to play his way into the Open Championship, but even if he doesn't, it has been a summer to remember for the 23-year-old.

"It is probably ... I mean, I expected it to be a lot of fun, but it's even more fun than I thought it would be," said Aberg. "It's just so cool to be around these guys that I have been watching for such a long time and to see them close up and actually communicate with them and be around them is very cool. It's pretty cool to see that my game holds up as well, and that I'll be able to, like I did today, finish well and get into a good position." Grade: A

T6. Denny McCarthy (-16): After a sizzling finish to his second round that included seven birdies in his last eight holes, McCarthy entered the weekend among the favorites. He held serve Saturday and found himself just one off the lead with 18 holes to play. That was as good as it would get as he failed to conjure together any momentum while players raced by him with a barrage of birdies. McCarthy added this tournament to his schedule given his current quality and his desire to nab his first career victory. While it won't come this week in the Quad Cities, it was another taste of contention and another notch in his belt as he has now rattled off four straight top-20 finishes. Grade: B-

T6. Cameron Young (-16): The reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year got a front row seat to Straka's near sub-60 round and became a forgotten man over the weekend. Young commanded the 36-hole lead but carded the lone non under-par round among those inside the top 15 Saturday and failed to make up ground Sunday. There are two sides to Young's story at the John Deere Classic. On the bright side, he found some form as he reintroduced an old golf ball into the bag and looked much better with the putter in hand. On the other end, the sophomore slump -- compared to his freshman campaign -- persists as he was the clear class of this relatively weak field and failed to grab his first win. Grade: B

T35. Russell Henley (-10): Henley experienced a good, not great, tournament with a standard statistical profile. He ranked inside the top 20 in strokes gained tee to green, inside the top five in strokes gained approach but outside the top 60 on the greens. This result marks his worse since a missed cut at the PGA Championship but continues a stretch of consistency that is garnering little appreciation. Henley entered the week with eight top-20 finishes in his last nine tournaments. His play in the Quad Cities will not be adding to that total. Grade: C

Rick Gehman is joined by Patrick McDonald, Mark Immelman and Greg DuCharme to break down Sepp Straka's win at the 2023 John Deere Classic. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

[Jul 9, 2023 at 5:31 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Todd with inopportune bogey

That hurts. A bogey on the par-3 16th puts Todd two off the clubhouse lead. Both he and Smalley will need to find two birdies in the final two holes to force a playoff with Sepp Straka.

[Jul 9, 2023 at 4:45 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Straka ends with double; in jeopardy of relinquishing tournament

Well, that is about as bad as an end you could draw up to a great day. Needing a birdie to shoot 59, Straka found the water and ultimately signed for a double bogey. He drops to 21 under as Brendon Todd lurks only two behind. Todd will have a short par 4 and easy par 5 to contend with and hopes to add another birdie elsewhere to get to 22 under and win.

[Jul 9, 2023 at 4:26 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Straka needs birdie on last hole for 59

That's a disappointing par for Straka on the 17th. He remains 11 under on the day and will need a birdie on the par-4 finisher to break 60. Even more so for his tournament chances as Alex Smalley and Brendon Todd have cut his lead to four with seven holes to play. There is still a chance for him to be caught.

[Jul 9, 2023 at 4:00 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Straka five clear; eyes history

He makes par on the 15th and sits at 11 under for the day. He just needs one birdie over his final three holes to break 60 and become the 13th man in PGA Tour history to do so. Jim Furyk holds the record with a 58 and may be touchable. He has a short par 3 and easy par 5 ahead of him next.