SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Steve Wheatcroft shot a career-best 9-under 62 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead in the John Deere Classic. Wheatcroft birdied seven of the last nine holes to finish a shot ahead of Michael Kim. Johnson Wagner, Nick Taylor, Andres Romero and Joel Dahmen shot opening-round 64s. Francesco Molinari, who won the Quicken Loans National two weeks ago, was among a group of players three strokes back.

Zach Johnson shot 69 and three-time John Deere winner Steve Stricker finished at 1-under 70. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, the highest-ranked player in the field, withdrew because of a right shoulder injury. DeChambeau, who won the Memorial Tournament earlier this season, first tweaked his shoulder on a shot out of the rough on the second hole. He pulled out after an awkward tee shot on No. 16.

Wheatcroft hasn’t had a top-10 finish this season, and he’s 209th in the FedEx Cup standings. But Wheatcroft caught fire on the back nine, finishing with six straight birdies — including a 13-foot putt on the par-4 18th — for just his third round in the 60s this season. Wheatcroft’s previous best scores on the PGA Tour were 64s at the 2012 Greenbrier Classic and the 2016 Canadian Open.

Johnson completed his 38th straight round of par or better at TPC Deere Run. But he knows he’ll need to do better than 2 under on Friday at a course known for low scores.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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District 13 @ Lenox

• 5:00 – Stanton (13-5) vs. Nodaway Valley (9-13)
• 7:00 – Lenox (15-9) vs. Lamoni (12-6)

District 14 @ St. Albert

• 5:00 – Essex/South Page (5-14) vs. Bedford (4-17)
• 7:00 – St. Albert (28-9) vs. East Mills (9-13)

District 15 @ Coon Rapids

• 5:00 – IKM-Manning (8-14) vs. Audubon (11-10)
• 7:00 – Coon Rapids-Bayard (17-14) vs. CAM (18-7)

District 16 @ Neola

• 5:00 – Ar-We-Va (11-7) vs. Westwood (13-14)
• 7:00 – Tri-Center (18-2) vs. West Harrison (12-8)

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — For the first time in his career, Bryson DeChambeau will enter a tournament looking to defend a title. DeChambeau’s breakthrough on the PGA Tour came last year in the Quad Cities at the John Deere Classic, which tees off on Thursday. After entering the final round four strokes off the pace, DeChambeau birdied six of his final nine holes for a one-shot win over Patrick Rodgers.

CHICAGO (AP) — Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas has been removed from the National League’s active roster for the All-Star Game next Tuesday because he is scheduled to start Sunday for St. Louis against the Cincinnati Reds. Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling was added to the NL pitching staff as Mikolas’ replacement.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brian Dozier hit a two-run home run, going deep for the second straight game to give the Minnesota Twins a boost on their way to an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Twins starter Lance Lynn recovered from a three-run homer by Salvador Perez in the first inning to win his second straight start. The Twins used the bottom third of their lineup to launch rallies in the second and the fourth against Royals starter Burch Smith.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa typically asks a ton out of its running backs. The problem is that the Hawkeyes don’t have a ton of proven backs these days _ which is why the offseason has been so crucial for the youngsters they hope will be ready by September. Iowa has a pair of sophomores atop its depth chart, the bruising Toren Young and the speedy Ivory Kelly-Martin. Behind them are redshirt freshman Camron Harrell and Kyshaun Bryan, true freshman Henry Geil and junior college transfer Mehki Sargent.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An Ohio man has admitted defrauding NFL players out of money meant for charities. Thirty-nine-year-old Camario Richardson, of Maple Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud in federal court in Kansas City. Prosecutors say Richardson told the players he could deliver Nike-branded merchandise to charitable events but didn’t deliver the goods. The five players involved weren’t identified in the indictment.

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Class 4-A

• Region 1 – Sergeant Bluff-Luton 4, Denison 3
• Region 2 – Des Mopines Hoover 3, Lewis Central 2
• Region 3 – ADM 8, Norwalk 1
• Region 4 – Dallas Center-Grimes 6, Pella 5
• Region 5 – Newton 4, Fairfield 1
• Region 6 – Cedar Rapids Xavier 8, Keokuk 0
• Region 7 – Indepenedence 7, Marion 5
• Region 8 – Charles City 6, Center Point-Urbana 1

Class 5-A

• Region 1 – Fort Dodge 5, Urbandale 2
• Region 2 – WDM Valley 4, Ankeny 0
• Region 3 – Johnston 1, Des Moines East 0
• Region 4 – Indianola 3, Ottumwa 2
• Region 5 – Cedar Rapids Jefferson 8, Dowling Catholic 0
• Region 6 – Iowa City High 4, Linn-Mar 2
• Region 7 – Dubuque Hempstead 4, Davenport West 0
• Region 8 – Pleasant Valley 4, Burlington 2

Officials with the Atlantic High School report AHS Fuel will host a tailgate event at the State Softball tournament in Fort Dodge, on Monday, July 16th. Students will be transported on a pep bus to the game leaving the high school at 2:30-p.m. Sign-up in the HS office by 3-p.m. Friday or email Dan Vargason to sign up. The Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund will cover the cost of the bus and pay for admission to the game for any student who rides the bus.

In addition to the bus, there will be tailgating at the Fort Dodge Soccer Association fields by Harlan Rodgers Park. The first 150 people will receive a hamburger, chips and a drink thanks to HyVee, Fareway and Atlantic Bottling. Grilling is expected to begin by 5-p.m. There will also be yard games, giveaways and some fun before the game. The 5th seed Atlantic Trojans will take on the 4th seed Humboldt Wildcats in State softball, Monday, at the Harlan Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. Game time is 7:30-p.m.

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Slumping outfielder Dexter Fowler hit his fourth career grand slam, All-Star Miles Mikolas tossed six innings of three-hit ball and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Chicago White Sox 14-2. Kolten Wong had four hits, including a two-run homer and a double, as every St. Louis starter except catcher Yadier Molina got at least one hit.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Adalberto Mondesi had a three-run homer and a career-high four RBIs, and the Kansas City Royals snapped a 10-game skid with a 9-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Royals scored more than five runs for the first time since June 4 and improved to 26-65 overall, percentage points ahead of Baltimore to avoid owning baseball’s worst record. Mondesi went deep in the second inning and added an RBI single in the sixth.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa typically asks a ton out of its running backs. The problem is that the Hawkeyes don’t have a ton of proven backs these days _ which is why the offseason has been so crucial for the youngsters they hope will be ready by September. Iowa has a pair of sophomores atop its depth chart, the bruising Toren Young and the speedy Ivory Kelly-Martin. Behind them are redshirt freshman Camron Harrell and Kyshaun Bryan, true freshman Henry Geil and junior college transfer Mehki Sargent.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An Ohio man has admitted defrauding NFL players out of money meant for charities. Thirty-nine-year-old Camario Richardson, of Maple Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud in federal court in Kansas City. Prosecutors say Richardson told the players he could deliver Nike-branded merchandise to charitable events but didn’t deliver the goods. The five players involved weren’t identified in the indictment.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Former NBA player Kermit Washington has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in charity donations on vacations, shopping sprees and plastic surgery for his girlfriend. The U.S. attorney’s office says the 66-year-old Las Vegas man also was ordered Monday to pay nearly $970,000 in restitution. Washington pleaded guilty in November to making a false statement in a tax return and aggravated identity theft.

Class 1-A District Baseball Quarter-Finals

District 13

@ Greenfield

• Stanton 10,  Murray 9
• Nodaway Valley 8, Southwest Valley 2

@ Lenox

• Lamoni 10, Orient-Macksburg 0 (5 innings)
• Lenox 16, East Union 0 (4 innings)

District 14

@ St. Albert

• East Mills 11, Sidney 9
• St. Albert 21, Clarinda Academy 0 (4 innings)

@Tabor

• Bedford 5, Griswold 4
• Essex 13, Fremont-Mills 11 (8 innings)

District 15

@ Madrid

• Audubon 6, Earlham 3
• IKM-Manning 4, Madrid 3

@ Anita

• Coon Rapid-Bayard 2, Exira/EHK 1
• CAM 3, Glidden-Ralston 2

District 16

@ Neola

• West Harrison 9, Woodbine 6
• Tri-Center 15, Whiting 0 (4 innings)

@ Westside

• Westwood 15, West Monona 9
• Ar-We-Va 3, Boyer Valley 1

Class 2-A District Baseball Semi-Finals

District 15 @ Underwood

• Treynor 9, Red Oak 1
• Underwood 11, Shenandoah 1 (6 innings)

District 16 @ Kuemper Catholic

• MVAOCOU (Maple Valley) 8, Missouri Valley 0
• Kuemper Catholic 10, West Central Valley 3

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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