Green grabs one-shot lead in Illinois

An eight-under-par round of 63 saw Nathan Green take a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the John Deere Classic.

The Australian did not card a single bogey in his superb second-round effort at TPC Deere Run on Friday as he moved to 12 under par to head Carl Pettersson and Jason Dufner by a solitary stroke.

Green, who has one top-10 finish in 19 events this season, set the tone early with birdies at his first two holes before back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth and another at the eighth saw him race up the leaderboard.

The 32-year-old picked up three more strokes on the back nine to grab the lead as he chases his first career PGA Tour win.

Pettersson signed for an impressive seven-under-par round of 64 to finish the day 11-under par.

The Swede’s round featured eight birdies and a bogey, including a run of four in a row from the 14th

Dufner, meanwhile, registered seven birdies and two bogeys en route to a 66.

First-round leader Neal Lancaster lies fourth on 10 under par after a 68, while England’s Greg Owen failed to make the cut by some distance after following up his one-over 72 with a bogey-ridden 78.