Johnson ends second round of John Deere Classic at 7-under

SILVIS, Ill. - Chez Reavie sounds like something you might find on Avenue des Champs-Elysées, not atop a PGA Tour leaderboard.

Reavie's not Parisian. He's from Kansas, in fact. And nothing he said in his post-round press conference Friday at the John Deere Classic indicated he was a bon vivant.

But the guy shot a 9-under-par 62 at TPC Deere Run to take the 36-hole lead at 14-under par. That's not humdrum fare.

What's the difference between Reavie's 14-under total and Zach Johnson's 7-under. Well, seven strokes, obviously.

OK, where did those shots come from? Certainly not tee to green. Johnson has been money with his irons and woods. He has hit 25 of 28 fairways in regulations and 28 of 36 greens in regulation, compared to Reavie's 22 of 28 and 27 of 36.

However, Reavie has needed just 49 putts to Johnson's 58.

“I feel great with the putter,” Reavie said.

The Deere is pretty much a putting contest spread over 7,257 yards. If you seize most opportunities for birdies on the greens, you can contend for the championship. If you let enough slip away, despite hitting the center of most fairways and playing bogey-free golf for 36 holes as Cedar Rapids native Johnson has, you'll struggle to stay close to the leader.

“I missed a lot of putts the last two days,” Johnson said. “I struck it nice. I put myself in a lot of good positions to make birdies. I'm driving the ball great, putting the ball in the fairway. ... I'm pitching good, wedging good.

“I'm just not scoring, which is frustrating.”

Johnson had a 2-under 69 Friday on the heels of his 66 Thursday. Had he cashed the majority of his birdie opportunities so far, he'd be in today's final pairing.

“It seems like he's not making the putts he usually makes,” said Johnson's caddie of eight years, Damon Green. “He's putting a lot of pressure on himself, so close to home. I think he just needs to relax a little bit and let it come. He hasn't had a bogey in two rounds. He's hitting the ball decent.”

Said Johnson of his putting: “There's no fixing. Nothing's broken.

“It's not over. I'm not out of it.”

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