Lee Janzen Shares the Lead After 18 Holes at the John Deere Classic

Lee Janzen has quietly been having a spectacular season.  Well, at least when compared to his performance over the past few years on tour.

Janzen, a two-time US Open champion, has not won a PGA Tour event in more than 11 years.  He has not finished within the top-125 on the tour’s money list since 2004, and three weeks ago, he missed his first US Open in 19 years when his 10-year exemption ran out and he failed to qualify for the event.

In recent years, Janzen has probably become accustomed to walking by galleries while having to hear “Oh yeah I remember Lee Janzen.  He’s still on tour?” or “I thought Janzen would have been on the senior tour by now.”

But, Janzen is only 44 years old.  He still has six years before he is eligible for the Champions Tour and he is still physically fit enough to compete on the PGA Tour, if he can only get a handle on a swing that’s been lost and broken for more than a decade.

During the midst of his swing troubles, Janzen parted ways with long-time swing coach Butch Harmon and has since been working with Mike Bender.

This season, all of Janzen’s hard work appears to be paying off, and he finally seems to be reeling in that golf swing that’s eluded him for more than a decade.

Janzen has made the cut in 10 out of 16 events, has four top-25 finishes and has already earned more money than he did in each of the previous four seasons.

“Well, my game was definitely not very good for a while, so I would say that I had about as little bit of confidence as you could have and still play,” Janzen said yesterday in Silvis, IL.  ”I worked very hard for three years on my swing, re-doing everything basically with Mike Bender, and I knew I was making progress.”

Due to his struggles in recent years, Janzen has been forced to play on sponsor and past champion exemptions this year.

However, Janzen is currently 101st on the tour’s money list and if he can hold it together for the rest of the year, he could finish within the top-125 for the first time in five years and once again enjoy a fully exempt status for the 2010 season.

Or, he could just win an event, which carries with it an automatic two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Janzen is currently tied for the lead at the John Deere Classic after firing a seven-under-par 64 in his opening round, which was his lowest score in a PGA Tour event in more than four years.

Janzen’s only bogey of the day came at the 18th hole when he found the greenside bunker with his approach shot.  But, other than that one hiccup on the 18th, Janzen played a near flawless round of golf which included eight birdies and matching 32’s on the front and back nine at TPC Deere Run.

There is, of course, a lot of golf still left to play at the John Deere Classic.  But, Janzen is in as good a position as anyone after the opening round.

Janzen’s ability to hold his game together for the next 54-holes will be the big test.

“It would be exciting, but you know—I would love to win,” Janzen said.

“If it doesn't happen this week, I still think that I'm capable of winning, and it won't stop me from continuing to work on my game to get better and put myself in position.  The better I get at every aspect of the game, the better my chances are that when I get in the hunt again that I'll perform properly.”