New Orleans, LA – Lucas Glover carded a 5-under 67 on Friday to grab a 1-stroke lead after the second round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Glover finished two rounds at 12-under-par 132. He is looking for his first tour win since the 2011 Wells Fargo Championship.
Boo Weekley posted a 4-under 68 to remain in second place at minus-11. D.A. Points also had a 68 to climb into third at 10-under 134.
Morgan Hoffmann shot 3-under 69 and is alone in fourth at 9-under 135, while last year's runner-up Ernie Els also carded a 69 on Friday and is one back at minus-8.
Jeff Maggert and Jerry Kelly both fired 5-under 67s to move into a share of sixth place at 7-under-par 137. They were joined there by Brian Davis (69), Justin Rose (69) Doug LaBelle II (67) and Bobby Gates (70).
Glover got off to a quick start as he stuffed his approach at the first inside four feet and converted that birdie putt. At the par-5 second, he chipped his third to seven feet and made his second straight birdie.
The 2009 U.S. Open champion missed the green at the third and chipped to seven feet. He missed that putt to slip back to minus-8. Glover quickly erased that mistake with a 9-foot birdie effort on No. 4.
Glover, whose tie for fourth at The Honda Classic was by far his best finish of the year, made it two in row with a birdie on the fifth. He got up and down for birdie on the par-5 seventh to move to 11-under.
After a pair of pars, Glover found sand off the tee at the 10th and came up short with his second. He pitched his third to 15 feet and 2-putted for bogey.
The 33-year-old found sand off the tee again on the 11th, but pitched his third to a foot and kicked that in for birdie. He parred three in a row before tripping to a bogey on the 17th.
Glover finished with an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-5 closing hole to end at minus-12.
"Ball-striking wise, I've been where I'm used to being. But I don't know that I've ever putted like I have the past two days, so I don't know if I can say I'm back because I've never been there. It changes every weekend," said Glover. "I've made a little adjustment with my setup, a little more stable on my left side and a little more weight left. Did I see this coming? Yeah, it was just one of those things where I had to get the putter straightened out."
Weekley, the Tampa Bay Championship runner-up, played the back nine first and holed a wedge shot for eagle at the 10th. After six pars in a row, he poured in a 26-foot birdie try on the 17th to move to 10-under.
The 39-year-old ran home a 26-footer for birdie on one before getting up and down for birdie on the second. After a trio of pars, Weekley missed the green with his approach at six, then 2-putted for bogey from nine feet out.
Weekley stumbled to another bogey at the eighth after missing the green with his second shot. The two-time Heritage winner drained a 7-footer for birdie at the ninth, his last, to end one back.
Tian-lang Guan, the 14-year-old from China that made the cut at the Masters, carded a 3-under 69 to make the cut on the number at 3-under 141.
"I think I played a very good round today, and I made a lot of birdies and a couple of good up and downs. So I think I had a pretty good round, I think," Guan said. ""Making the cut is one of my goals. I'm having fun these couple of days, and I hope to play my best and go a little further into the weekend."
NOTES: Glover has made 32 of 34 putts inside 10 feet through two rounds ... First-round leader Ricky Barnes struggled to a 4-over 76 and tumbled into a share of 36th at 4-under 140 ... Seventy-one players made the cut at minus-3, including Jason Dufner, who made it on the number after a second-round 71 ... Among those that didn't make it to the weekend were Erik Compton, K.J. Choi, Charlie Beljan, Justin Leonard and Jordan Spieth.
