Aaron Rai and C.T. Pan share the John Deere Classic lead

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Aaron Rai and C.T. Pan share the John Deere Classic lead

2024-07-06 10:01 Last Updated At：10:10

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Aaron Rai of England went from a close call last week in Detroit to another chance at his first PGA Tour victory, playing another bogey-free round of 8-under 63 on Friday to share the lead with C.T. Pan going into the weekend at the John Deere Classic.

Still in the mix is Hayden Springer, who began the tournament with a 59. Springer had 12 birdies and two eagles in his first 29 holes before he began to sputter, missing a 3-foot par putt and taking a double bogey late in his round as light rain fell at the TPC Deere Run.

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First-round leader Hayden Springer, right, talks with his caddie Michael Burns prior to second-round play at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Aaron Rai of England went from a close call last week in Detroit to another chance at his first PGA Tour victory, playing another bogey-free round of 8-under 63 on Friday to share the lead with C.T. Pan going into the weekend at the John Deere Classic.

Jason Day lines up his putt on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Denny McCarthy lines up his putt on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Eric Cole sinks a bunker shot for birdie on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Davis Thompson follows through on his seventh hole tee shot at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

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SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Aaron Rai of England went from a close call last week in Detroit to another chance at his first PGA Tour victory, playing another bogey-free round of 8-under 63 on Friday to share the lead with C.T. Pan going into the weekend at the John Deere Classic.

Jason Day lines up his putt on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Denny McCarthy lines up his putt on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Eric Cole sinks a bunker shot for birdie on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Davis Thompson follows through on his seventh hole tee shot at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

He had to settle for a 71 and and was among six players within two shots of the lead.

“It wasn't too bad,” Springer said. “It was a little windier today, probably played a little tougher. I kind of hit some bumps on the back nine, but more just mental errors and not making those short putts than anything else.”

Pan holed a 100-foot chip for eagle on the reachable par-4 14th and also kept bogeys off his card for a 63.

Pan and Rai were at 14-under 128.

Rai shared the 54-hole lead in the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week and wound up one shot behind Cam Davis.

“Been playing well tee-to-green for large parts of this season. That's kind of continued over the last few weeks,” Rai said. “And then a couple of weeks ago I spent quite a while on the green. My dad gave me a couple tips. Started working with John Graham last week, as well, a putting coach who is based out here.

“Putting all that together has definitely translated to on the course.”

Rai wasn't the only player using some momentum from last week. Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton extended his amazing summer run with a 67 that left him at 12-under 130.

He drove the green on the 348-yard 14th hole to 15 feet for eagle. Perhaps more impressive was the way he rebounded from a double bogey on the par-4 sixth toward the end of his round with two straight birdies.

“We hadn't really made a mistake all week, and made one tiny mistake and made double,” Clanton said. “I knew it was all right. Going to make birdie-birdie no matter that. I knew after I got that double, I said to myself, 'We ain’t finishing at 10 under. We're going to finish at 12.'”

He hit his tee shot on the 202-yard seventh hole to just inside 10 feet for birdie, and then made another 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 eighth to make good on his belief.

Harry Hall (66) was at 13 under, while joining Springer and Clanton at 12 under were Eric Cole (68), Davis Thompson (67) and Denny McCarthy (66).

Another shot back was a player fresh out of college — Michael Thorbjornsen, the Massachusetts native who played at Stanford and finished No. 1 in the PGA Tour University ranking to get a full PGA Tour card for the rest of this year and all of 2025.

Thorbjornsen started his round with four straight birdies and wound up with a 64.

Two-time Deere winner Jordan Spieth at least made it to the weekend. Playing the tournament for the first time since he won it nine years ago, Spieth hit a pair of wild shots that led to bogey and put him outside the cut line until he rallied with a pair of birdies.

He missed a 4-foot birdie chance on his final hole and had to settle for a 67, making the cut with a shot to spare. But he was still eight shots behind and not particularly optimistic, mainly because of a 69 on Thursday morning in the easiest conditions.

“We had yesterday morning with no wind and a chance — ball in hand — to really take advantage,” Spieth said. "I had 18 holes of a couple under yesterday, and unless you’re absolutely perfect from there, there is not much of a chance of winning. That doesn’t mean you don’t go out and try and shoot 10 under the next day.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Pakistan capital locked down to thwart a rally to support ex-leader Imran Khan

2024-10-04 23:29 Last Updated At：23:30

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Authorities suspended cellphone service and blocked key roads into Pakistan’s capital with shipping containers Friday to try to thwart a rally by tens of thousands of activists seeking the release of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Khan’s supporters were trying to march on Islamabad from the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Khan’s party holds power, defying a ban on rallies imposed this week by the national government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Sharif’s interior minister said armed supporters of Khan were among activists trying to reach the capital and warned them to stop, and has said they would be shown “no leniency.” Police swung batons and used tear gas to prevent rallygoers from entering capital.

Sharif’s government also deployed paramilitary rangers and additional police and shut schools in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi after Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party refused to withdraw its call for the protest.

Videos posted online showed police placing shipping containers on bridges and roads on a key highway near Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Officials said that the provincial government was trying to remove the blockades with heavy machinery.

The protest comes ahead of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Islamabad on Oct. 15, and Pakistani authorities announced they would deploy troops in the capital starting Saturday to secure the meeting. India’s foreign ministry confirmed Friday that its external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will attend.

On Friday, police reportedly arrested some of Khan’s party supporters from Islamabad, including two of his sisters.

Khan, Sharif’s main political rival, has been in prison for more than a year in connection with more than 150 criminal cases. He remains a popular figure despite the cases, which critics and his party say are politically motivated. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament and arrested in 2023 after a court handed him a 3-year jail sentence in a graft case.

Sharif came into power after the Feb. 8 vote which Khan says was rigged.

The suspension of cellphone service in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Friday disrupted communications and affected basic services such as online banking, ride and food delivery services. Many people faced difficulties traveling because of the obstacles placed on the roads.

On Thursday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told Khan’s party to cancel the planned protest and warned that there would be “no leniency” if the ban on protests is defied.

He told reporters in Islamabad Friday that armed supporters of Khan were marching on Islamabad. “They should think what they are going to do with Pakistan by marching on Islamabad with weapons,” he said. “I am very clear that they are going launch an assault on Islamabad,” Naqvi said.

He said the government would not allow anyone to cause damage in the country. Khan’s spokesman, Zulfiqar Bukhari, rejected the government’s demand to withdraw the call for the protest, saying it was their constitutional right to hold a peaceful rally.

A message on Khan’s social media account urged supporters to join the protest. “The tyrants in power want to terrorize us,” it said. “So go forth fearlessly, and remember if you still hesitate, to step forward and truly liberate yourself.”

Sharif’s government says Khan’s party wants to weaken the country’s economy by staging violent protests despite the threat posed by the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks in recent years.

Pakistan, which recently received a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, has been struggling to overcome an economic crisis.

On Friday, supporters of Khan gathered in Swabi, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to begin a march toward Islamabad.

Aaron Rai and C.T. Pan share the John Deere Classic lead

Sport

Aaron Rai and C.T. Pan share the John Deere Classic lead

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Aaron Rai of England went from a close call last week in Detroit to another chance at his first PGA Tour victory, playing another bogey-free round of 8-under 63 on Friday to share the lead with C.T. Pan going into the weekend at the John Deere Classic.

Jason Day lines up his putt on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Denny McCarthy lines up his putt on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Eric Cole sinks a bunker shot for birdie on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Davis Thompson follows through on his seventh hole tee shot at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Aaron Rai of England went from a close call last week in Detroit to another chance at his first PGA Tour victory, playing another bogey-free round of 8-under 63 on Friday to share the lead with C.T. Pan going into the weekend at the John Deere Classic.

Jason Day lines up his putt on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Denny McCarthy lines up his putt on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Eric Cole sinks a bunker shot for birdie on the seventh hole at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

Davis Thompson follows through on his seventh hole tee shot at the John Deere Classic golf tournament Friday, July 5, 2024, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (Roy Dabner/Quad City Times via AP)

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