Glover fits in top spot

It hasn't been the kind of year Lucas Glover had hoped for so far. But if he can string together two more rounds like his first two at the Verizon Heritage, 2008 could start looking like a very good year.

The former Clemson star's early-season struggles seem to be subsiding, and he carded a 5-under-par 66 for the second day in a row to take the outright lead Friday at Harbour Town Golf Links. He holds a one-shot advantage over defending champion Boo Weekley, who charged up the leaderboard with a 7-under 64, matching Stephen Ames for the lowest round thus far.

But the champ is chasing Glover, whose season could use a major kickstart. He's now made eight of 10 cuts, but has only two top-25 finishes and sits 117th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Nothing a Heritage title in his home state wouldn't cure.

"I've been a pain at home, probably, to be fair," Glover said. "But I take it out on myself and kind of clam up in my own little shell. But I told myself I had to go to work, and it's not going to come easy, and I was able to do it the last couple of days."

It's only the second time in his career Glover has held the 36-hole lead -- he tied for 17th after doing so at the 2006 Arnold Palmer Invitational -- so he isn't ready to start thinking about his second PGA Tour victory and getting fitted for a tartan blazer just yet.

"I've got to figure out how to get it in the fairway a little bit more," Glover said. "... But I'm not going to dwell on it. I'm going to get my work done and relax and do something else."

Oddly, Glover and Weekley fought a tendency to push their drivers to the right all day -- Glover hit seven of 14 fairways, and Weekley hit eight -- but they still managed to turn in two of the day's best rounds on a course that usually requires accuracy off the tee.

Both held things together with their putters: Weekley needed 26 putts and Glover needed 24. Glover is tied for first in putting this week, which came in handy to salvage some "squirrelly tee shots" Friday.

"The wedge and the putter kind of saved the round," Glover said. "I had some good opportunities to make some bogeys, and made some pars early."

He made his first birdie of the day at the par-5 15th, his sixth hole of the round, where he knocked his second shot on the green with a 5-wood and two-putted. He then reeled off five birdies in his last 11 holes to pull ahead of Weekley, who made his move on the back nine -- he shot 4-under 31 on the back to finish off a bogey-free round.

Glover has had mixed results at Harbour Town. He can't recall what he shot when he first played the back nine as a junior golfer (he thinks he was about 10 at the time), but he now has made four cuts in six Heritage starts, with his best finish a tie for 12th in 2006.

Weekley, on the other hand, continued to show he knows his way around Harbour Town -- all six of his tournament rounds here have been in the 60s -- as he looks to become the first to successfully defend his Heritage title since Davis Love III did it in 1992.

"I feel this golf course sets up for my game," Weekley said. "It's very similar to the golf course I grew up on, Tanglewood, back home. Granted, it's not as long as this and not quite as pretty as this."

And, boy, have things been beautiful at Harbour Town. Benign weather conditions have allowed for low scores -- the 36-hole cut fell at 1-over par, one shot off the lowest in Heritage history, and 58 players are under par through two rounds.

"I'd say the course is probably playing at least two strokes easier than last year," Weekley said. "Granted, the wind ain't picked up. I looked on the weather, looks like we've got a little front coming in, a little storm system that might be getting here (today) sometime."

After three players shared the 18-hole lead and 10 more were within a shot after the opening round, the top of the pack thinned a bit Friday. Five players will start today's third round within three shots of Glover's lead. Anthony Kim is two shots back at 8 under, and two-time Heritage champ Stewart Cink is among three golfers at 7 under.

And with 25 players at 5 under or better, it's looking wide open for the weekend.

"This course, it's giving up some birdies, but it's not an easy course," said Cink, who is tied for fourth with Ames and Cliff Kresge. "You can make bogey in a heartbeat here on just about any hole. I know to be patient. I've got 36 more holes."