John Deere Classic Round 2: Lucas Glover Stays Bogey-Free and Builds a Two-Shot Lead

Thirty-six holes, zero bogeys, and a 46-year-old who spent most of this season searching for anything resembling form. Lucas Glover has found it at TPC Deere Run, and the rest of the John Deere Classic field is running out of time to pretend otherwise.

Glover followed his opening 63 with a 6-under 65 on Friday to reach 14-under 128 and take a two-shot lead into the weekend. Lee Hodges (66) is alone in second at 12 under, and Zac Blair (68), Glover's co-leader after Thursday, sits third at 11 under. A crowd of six is tied for fourth at 10 under: Jackson Suber, Tyler Duncan, Troy Merritt, David Lipsky, Ryo Hisatsune and Ben Kohles.

A Career-Best Two Days

The number that jumps off the page is 128. According to the AP, it is the best 36-hole score of Glover's career across 582 PGA TOUR starts, one better than the 129 he posted at the 2010 Wyndham Championship. For a player who had not broken 67 all season before this week, that is a stunning turnaround.

Glover started on the 10th tee and came out firing. Through his first five holes, every approach finished inside 8 feet. He converted three of them and stuck his tee shot on the par-3 16th to 2 feet. He turned in 5 under and then spent the back half of his day protecting the card, closing with a 12-foot par save on No. 9 to keep the bogey-free streak alive.

He has 14 birdies and 22 pars through two rounds, and CBS Sports noted he has gained more than seven strokes on approach so far, the best ball-striking performance in the field by a wide margin.

Glover Keeps It in Perspective

None of it seems to be going to his head. Glover is coming back from shoulder surgery, sits No. 119 in the FedExCup, and has an exemption that expires after this season, and he talked Friday like a man who knows how fast a hot week can cool.

"Doesn't mean anything tomorrow. Doesn't mean anything Sunday," Glover said, per the AP. He added that the two rounds had given him a little belief that his game is still in there.

That is the right mindset at a course where the winner usually has to keep the pedal down for four straight days.

Hodges Putts His Way Into the Picture

Hodges has quietly been one shot worse than Glover in each of the first two rounds, a 64 and a 66 that have him as the closest pursuer. Friday was all about the putter. He made birdie putts from 40 and 27 feet on the way to six birdies against one bogey, then grinded out two par putts from around 8 feet over his last three holes to stay within two.

Hodges told Field Level Media it was probably the best single day of putting he has had on TOUR. The 2023 3M Open champion now has a real chance to add a second title.

Blair Hangs Around

Blair could not match his Thursday fireworks, but he stayed in the conversation with a 68. The highlight was a 57-foot birdie on the par-3 16th, one of five birdies on the day, and he saved par from 16 feet at the last. He is still looking for his first TOUR win and sits three back.

Behind him, Suber posted 64 to jump into the tie for fourth, while Lipsky and Hisatsune each shot 65. Kohles shot 67 to stay in the mix.

The Cut and the Big Names

The cut fell at 3 under, and 80 players made it to the weekend. A few of them did it the hard way. Jordan Spieth, a two-time winner here, made a double-bogey 6 on the par-5 10th after a pulled iron found the native area, then needed three birdies on the back nine to post 69 and make it on the number. Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley also got in right at 3 under.

The best story of the cut belonged to Eric Cole. After a Thursday 76, Cole fired the day's low round, an 8-under 63 that included two eagles, and made the weekend on the number. Ben Griffin's 65 moved him up 40 spots.

Not everyone survived. Defending champion Brian Campbell, who won here last summer, missed the cut, as did Daniel Berger and Sudarshan Yellamaraju. Jackson Koivun's pro debut ended after 36 holes at 1 over.

The Chasers Behind the Chasers

Max Homa shot 66 to sit alone in 10th at 9 under. Chris Gotterup, the two-time winner this season, shot 68 and is part of a group tied for 11th at 8 under, six back, alongside 50-year-old Zach Johnson (70). Teenager Blades Brown, still bogey-free through 36 holes, shot 66 to reach 7 under, matching NCAA champion Preston Stout, whose 69 included a penalty drop and a bogey on 18.

Glover has the lead and the cleanest card in the field. But at a course where 10 under can feel like a back seat, two shots is a thin cushion. Saturday will show whether this old-school ball-striking clinic has two more days left in it.

Catch up on Thursday in our Round 1 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 2 recap, cut story and leaderboard), AP, Golf Channel, Field Level Media, CBS Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.