Memphis, TN (Best E Casino) - Tommy Armour III managed a one-over 71 Friday to fall to three-under-par 137, but he managed to grab a piece of the lead after two rounds of the St. Jude Championship at the TPC at Southwind.
Armour was joined in the lead by Michael Bradley (68), Jason Dufner (68), Gavin Coles (64), Dean Wilson (68) and Marc Turnesa (69).
Vijay Singh, the only top-10 player in the field this week, is one of four players tied for seventh at two-under-par 138. He was joined there Alex Cejka (69), Michael Letzig (69) and Davis Love III (70).
In all, there were 26 players within four shots of the leaders.
All six leaders have won before, three on the PGA Tour and three on the Nationwide Tour.
Armour and Bradley lead that pact with two PGA Tour titles. Armour carded two birdies and a bogey on the front nine to turn in minus-five.
He dropped another stroke on the par-four 12th, but atoned for that mistake with a birdie at the par-five 16th. Armour cost himself the outright lead when he drove into the water at the 18th. He walked off with a double-bogey that dropped him to minus-three.
"You've got to hit good shots, quality shots, and I hit a lot of them today," said Armour, "and I played as good as I did yesterday. You've just got to take what the course gives you."
Bradley played the back nine first. He traded a birdie for a bogey from the 12th. Bradley dropped in back-to-back birdies from the 16th to make the turn at three-under.
Around the turn, Bradley parred the first five holes before dropping a shot on the sixth. He erased that mistake with a birdie on the par-three eighth.
Wilson, the final leader with a PGA Tour win, was two-over par for his round with a birdie and three bogeys through eight holes. He birdied the ninth and 11th to get back to minus-one for the tournament. Wilson connected on birdie efforts at 16 and 17 to grab a piece of the lead.
Of the six leaders, Coles owns the most wins at PGA Tour-sanctioned events as he has won four times on the Nationwide circuit. Coles posted a bogey-free round collecting three birdies on both the front and back nines.
"It was difficult, but, I think if you putted well today, you would have had a pretty decent score," Coles stated. "I just didn't think that the pins were as hard as yesterday. A couple today you just didn't go for, and I seemed to putt well. When I did get in trouble, my putter sort of got me out of it a little."
Dufner, a two-time winner on the Nationwide Tour, parred the first seven holes of his round. After a bogey on eight, he birdied the following two holes. He birdied the 13th, but gave that shot back with a bogey on 14. Dufner closed out his round with a birdie on the 16th.
Turnesa, who has one Nationwide Tour crown, opened with a bogey before running off nine straight pars. He birdied No. 11, but dropped a stroke at 14. Turnesa followed a birdie on the 15th with another at 16 to get to minus-three.
Bob Estes (65), Jim McGovern (68) and Omar Uresti (69) were the final players in red figures at one-under-par 139.
First-round leader Boo Weekley struggled to a five-over 75 with one birdie, one double-bogey and four bogeys. That dropped him into a share of 14th at even-par 140.
The cut line fell at five-over-par 145 with 74 players making the cut. Among those missing the weekend were Chad Campbell (146), Shaun Micheel (147), Fred Funk (148) and Charles Howell III (150).
