Zach Johnson skips Senior Open for John Deere and opens with 64 to trail by one shot

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Zach Johnson is skipping three majors for the John Deere Classic, which feels like a major for the Iowa native. He made the decision pay off Thursday with an eagle-birdie finish for a 7-under 64 that left him one shot out of the lead.Lucas Glover and Zac Blair played in the morning and each posted a 63, a good start for both as the PGA Tour heads into the final two months. Both are well outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup.Johnson, a 50-year-old in his first year on the PGA Tour Champions and already with two victories, never considered anything but the John Deere Classic even with the U.S. Senior Open in Ohio this week at Scioto.He used putter from off the green for a 45-foot eagle on the par-5 17th, and capped off his round with a shot into 12 feet for a closing birdie.“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’ 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.”

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Along with skipping the U.S. Senior Open this week, Johnson did not enter the British Open at Royal Birkdale, where he is exempt for 10 more years. He also is skipping the Senior British Open at Gleneagles, where he played in the 2014 Ryder Cup.