It was a good day on the PGA Tour for Port Neches-Groves exes Thursday, with Andrew Landry matching his lowest round of the 2018-19 season and Chris Stroud posting second his best opening-round score of the year on day one of
the John Deere Classic.

Landry, who is No. 171 on the FedEx Cup points list, fired a bogey-free 6-under-par 65 to grab a share of fourth place. He is three shots behind leader Roberto Diaz and one back of Russell Henley and Adam Long. Landry’s previous best round of the year was a 65 at the Travelers Championship.

Stroud, trying to snap the worst slump of his career, ate up the par 5s on the way to a 68 that’s good for a tie for 42nd. If he plays well enough to make the cut Friday, it will be the first time in 10 tournaments Stroud has advanced to the weekend.

Landry hit 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens on the way to his 65 over the TPC Deere Run. About the only thing he didn’t do well was tear up the par 5s like Stroud did. Landry rolled in three birdies on each nine, sinking putts
of 6 feet, 9 inches, 18-1, 10-5, 2-11, 12-2 and 19 inches.

He birdied three of the first five holes and five of the first 11, then was able to add one more at the 14th. Five of his six birdies came on par 4 holes with only one on a par 5.

Stroud, whose PGA Tour card is in serious jeopardy with just three tournaments remaining, bagged three of his five birdies on par 5s. He putted for eagle on two of them. His birdie makes came from 3-3, 4-0, 17-3, 8-8 and 9 inches.

After opening with two-putt birdie on the par 5, first, it looked like the round was going south when Stroud took bogeys on the fourth and sixth holes and turned in one-over 36. But he stormed back by making four birdies and shooting 32 on the incoming nine.

Lamar ex Shawn Stefani, who is also fighting to keep his PGA Tour card, looked like he might shoot the round of the day after going five under on the first 11 holes. But two bogeys and a double bogey 7 on the par 5, 17th forced Stefani to settle for a 70.