Morton native and former Illini golfer Tommy Kuhl had a solid showing in his PGA Tour debut this weekend, but will miss the cut at the John Deere Classic in Silvis.
The 23-year-old Kuhl shot a combined 1-under-par 141 in the first two rounds on the Deere Run course about 90 miles north of Peoria. He had four birdies and three bogeys in the first round Thursday, and followed that up with three of each in the second round on Friday.
Kuhl was trailed by a large contingent of friends, family, and fans of the University of Illinois. The two-time IHSA champion was making his PGA Tour debut on a sponsor’s exemption. The projected cut for the field was 3-under as of Friday afternoon. He excelled with the driver, his 336.1 yards-per-drive ranking fourth among the field.
Also in the field is Pekin native DA Points, who shot 2-under-par with seven birdies over the two rounds. He had not played in a PGA event since missing the cut at the AT&T Byron Nelson on May 14.
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Kuhl made his debut last month on the PGA Tour Canada, tying for 15th in one event and 27th in another.
The unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection is also coming off an event with Team USA at the prestigious 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup. On May 9, he made national news when he won a US Open qualifier, then in the minutes that followed he disqualified himself for what many pro golfers felt was an unintentional minor infraction when he made repairs to aeration marks on the green.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Morton, U of I golfer Tommy Kuhl competes in first PGA Tour event