SILVIS, Ill. — For all the late pars and the closing run of 46 holes without a bogey, Ryan Moore thought the key to his victory Sunday in the John Deere Classic was a 24-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole.
It moved him to 20-under and kept him two strokes ahead of Morgan Hoffmann, who was about to birdie the fifth hole.
“That was huge to get another birdie early, just to show the guys behind me I’m not messing around,” Moore said. “The worst thing to do is to be even or 1 over after five or six holes. Then all of a sudden you’ve got 10 guys thinking, ‘All right, I can go get this today.'”
With Moore making three birdies on the front nine and another on the 10th hole en route to a 4-under 67, they had no chance. He won his fifth PGA Tour title by two strokes over Ben Martin.
The 33-year-old Moore finished at 22-under 262 at TPC Deere Run, making only one bogey in 72 holes.
“I like how steady this was, with no bogeys on the weekend,” Moore said.
Martin had three straight back-nine birdies in a 68.
“I never got a whole lot going,” Martin said. “I just told (Moore), ‘You couldn’t make one bogey out there for me today?’ Hats off to him for just a solid round of golf. I don’t think he really ever sniffed a bogey.”
South Korea’s Whee Kim shot 67 to tie for third with Hoffmann (71) at 17 under.
Moore birdied Nos. 2, 4, 9 and 10 and closed with eight pars. He had a five-stroke lead when Hoffmann bogeyed the 12th hole. Martin, playing with Moore in the final twosome, birdied Nos. 12-14, but couldn’t get closer than two strokes. Martin parred his last four holes, and Hoffmann his final six.
“I just wanted to make a putt, which didn’t happen all day,” Hoffmann said. “In the middle of the round, it kind of went sideways.”
Jordan Spieth chose not to defend his title because he didn’t think it would be OK in light of his decision to skip the Olympics.
Wesley Bryan, the leader Friday when play was suspended, tied for eighth at 14 under after his second straight 70.
SENIORS: The final round of the U.S. Senior Open in Upper Arlington, Ohio, was postponed because of heavy rain, giving Miguel Angel Jimenez another night to sleep on the third-round lead.
The course at the Scioto Country Club absorbed 2.36 inches of rain late Saturday and Sunday, leading to the decision late Sunday afternoon. The USGA had hoped to get at least the first groups through during a break in the rain on Sunday, but the course was too wet to play.
Rain was forecast for Monday, too.
Jimenez was at 3-under 207 on Jack Nicklaus’ boyhood course, a stroke ahead of Gene Sauers.
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