David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Well color me surprised. Zach Johnson is still tied for the lead after two rounds at the John Deere Classic. This is really getting to be old hat for him at this point. Johnson carded a score of five under par his 18th consecutive round in the 60s at TPC Deere Run. The only thing that’s really changed is who is now surrounding him on the leaderboard. Johnson is tied with Patrick Reed and Lucas Glover at 12 under par heading into the third round.
Glover fired a 62 in the second round while Reed is tied for the top spot thanks to a 63. Johnson’s first round co-leader, Camilo Villegas, fell off the pace after carding a two over par 73 in the second round – he’s now seven shots off of the pace. Steve Stricker, the other heavy favorite heading into this week’s PGA Tour event is definitely still in the mix at nine under par. If anyone has the confidence to catch Johnson as this event, it is Stricker.
It’s not as if Johnson is out there challenging course records on a regular basis, but he is consistently strong at this event. Four rounds in the 60s will beat one magnificent round combined with three average ones just about every time. Johnson knows he has this course’s number and isn’t afraid to attack when the time is right. “(It) was a day of just hanging in there and letting things come,” he said. “But I like the fact that I don’t have to be perfect and I can still play here.”
I still don’t see anyone catching Johnson. He’s likely going to put together two more rounds between five and seven under par over the weekend and should at least be in contention late in the final round.
Carl Conrad is the Senior Golf Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.
