John Deere Classic 2017: Patrick Rodgers Holds Lead After 7-Under Round 2

Patrick Rodgers' red-hot start to the 2017 John Deere Classic continued with a seven-under 64 in Friday's second round to give him a two-stroke lead heading into the weekend at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

Rodgers, who fired a 65 in the opening round, sits at 13 under overall in the final PGA Tour warm-up event before next week's Open Championship, the season's third major tournament.

Bryson DeChambeau (-11) finds himself in second place after a six-under 65 in Round 2. Zach Johnson and Charles Howell III (-10) are tied for third.

Here's a look at the updated leaderboard with 36 holes to play:

Rodgers started the round on the back nine and carded four straight pars before catching fire. He racked up eight birdies over the next 13 holes, including three separate instances of back-to-back birds. His only blemish of the day was a three-putt bogey on the final hole.

The 25-year-old Indiana native is seeking his first victory on the PGA Tour. His spot atop the leaderboard comes as a surprise since he's missed more cuts (13) than he's made (nine) this season with just two top-10 finishes in 22 starts.

The PGA Tour passed along one of his several highlight-reel moments from Day 2:

Afterward, Rodgers cited his comfort level in the event as a key reason he's put himself firmly in contention this week amid an often frustrating campaign, according to the John Deere Classic.

"I love coming here," he said. "It's a special tournament for me dating back to amateur golf."

DeChambeau is still working to live up to the hype that followed his initial success on golf's biggest stages. The 23-year-old SMU product finished 21st in the 2016 Masters, making him the low amateur, and then he turned pro before tying for 15th in the 2016 U.S. Open.

His results since that point have failed to impress. He's recorded a single top-10 result in 24 events this season and missed 14 cuts. But there are still flashes of potential, such as the first two days of this week's tournament, that suggest brighter days are ahead.

Nick King of KMPH commented on DeChambeau's recent uptick in form:

While Rodgers and DeChambeau lead the pack, nobody put together a better performance Friday than Kevin Tway, who carded an eight-under 63.

The son of longtime PGA Tour player Bob Tway was in danger of missing the cut when he stepped on the 16th tee. Then he jumped on the birdie train for seven straight holes and ended up dropping nine strokes in a 10-hole stretch to surge into contention.

Drake Lansman‏ of the Moline Dispatch noted the birdie streak set a new tournament record:

Meanwhile, several notable golfers ended the second round below the two-under cut line. Kevin Na (+1), Hunter Mahan (+1), Nick Watney (+2), Ryo Ishikawa (+2) and Ryan Moore (+3) all failed to qualify for the weekend action at TPC Deere Run.

Rodgers is the player to beat heading into Saturday's action, and his track record suggests he could find himself in even better position for Sunday. He ranks fifth on the PGA Tour in third-round scoring average at 68.56, though it's a limited sample size with just nine rounds played.

If he falters, there are 19 other players within six shots of the lead, which could make for a dramatic finish.