John Deere Classic 2015: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Thursday

With some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour preparing for the Open Championship next week, the John Deere Classic began at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, on Thursday with not too many household names in contention.       

Fresh off his win at the U.S. Open on June 18, Jordan Spieth headlines the field at the Illinois-based tournament.

Continue below for the leaderboard after the first day with highlights from some of the first round's top players.

Place	Golfer	Rd. 1 Score
T1	Justin Thomas	-8 (63)
T1	Nicholas Thompson	-8 (63)
T3	Charles Howell III	-7 (64)
T3	Luke Guthrie	-7 (64)
T5	Robert Garrigus	-6 (65)
T5	Daniel Summerhays	-6 (65)
T5	Steve Stricker	-6 (65)
T5	Shawn Stefani	-6 (65)
T5	Steven Alker	-6 (65)

Justin Thomas paced the pack early, shooting an eight-under par during the first round. 

Starting on the back nine, his splits were almost carbon copies of each other. On his first nine holes, he birdied 13, bogeyed 14 then rattled off four straight birdies from 15 to 18. 

Moving to the front nine, he birdied three, bogeyed four and again recorded four consecutive birdies from holes five to eight. The PGA Tour shows his play on the sixth hole:

Thomas' driving was powerful with an average distance of 310 yards, almost 30 yards more than the tournament's average as he took the lead.

Later joining him on top was Nicholas Thompson, who used a hectic back nine that included a bogey, four birdies and an eagle on 14 to also put him at eight under for the first round. The PGA Tour shows his birdie on No. 8 that put him in a tie for the lead:  

Charles Howell III used a blistering start to launch himself to the top of the leaderboard. He birdied his first four holes of the afternoon. 

He navigated the course well, parring five of his next holes and then birdieing on 10. He ended his day strong with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 to go seven under, one stroke behind Thomas for the lead and tied with Luke Guthrie for second.

Among the five tied for fifth place at six under par, Steve Stricker highlighted the day with this shot, per the PGA Tour:

After starting on the back nine, Stricker overcame two bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes and responded with four birdies on the front nine. 

Spieth was nowhere to be found among Thursday's leaders. The U.S. Open winner had to battle back from a one-over front nine in which he bogeyed two holes in a row on Nos. 8 and 9 followed by another on No. 11. With consecutive birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, he managed to battle his way back to even on the day. 

At 22 years old, Thomas is in his third year as a professional on the PGA Tour. He has yet to win an event in 34 tries in his young career. Almost 11 years his senior, Thompson, 32, is also yet to win an event on the PGA Tour after turning pro in 2005. He has participated in 214 different events. 

Two inexperienced names at the top are sure to leave the door to victory in this tournament wide open. Look for the more established names, such as Stricker and maybe even Spieth if he is able to gain some momentum on Saturday, to make a serious charge at Thomas' and Thompson's lead.

Stats courtesy of PGATour.com.