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Lewis & McLardy share opening lead

J.L. Lewis and Andrew McLardy each shot rounds of seven-under-par 64 on Thursday to lead the John Deere Classic by one shot.

Jerry Smith, Paul Gow and Stephen Allan share second place at minus-six.

Lewis, the 1999 champion of this event, used a birdie stretch around the turn to shoot up the leaderboard. He hit a lob wedge for his third shot at the par- five 10th and landed the ball 15 feet from the hole to set up a birdie, then played a six-iron to eight feet at No. 11 for birdie and added another two holes later when he rolled home another eight-footer.

"Well, I struck the ball good, and I had a couple weeks off so I felt rested," said Lewis, who has made the cut in his last eight starts. "I putted well, which was a nice surprise."

McLardy was tied with Lewis at seven-under par but fell one stroke behind when his tee shot at 15 went into the trees. He was forced to pitch out sideways and take a bogey on the hole.

He matched Lewis once again at the top of the leaderboard with a five-foot birdie at the last.

"My ball striking could be a little better tomorrow," said McLardy, who has made only five of 15 cuts this season. "It sounds strange, but sometimes you have good rounds when you don't strike it as well. But I putted well today."

Brian Claar, David Morland IV, Steve Lowery and Edward Fryatt are knotted in sixth at minus-five.

Lewis first broke into red figures at the par-five second hole when he two- putted from the front of the green. He carded back-to-back birdies at four and five when he played a pair of eight-iron approaches to 12 feet.

He grabbed a one-stroke edge when he converted a four-foot birdie putt at the par-five 17th, but watched as McLardy joined him in the lead.

McLardy collected four birdies from inside 10 feet on the front nine and added birdies at the par-five 10th and a 25-footer at No. 11. He matched Lewis at seven-under par with a six-foot birdie at the 13th.

Defending champion Michael Clark II, who won a Monday playoff last year, opened with a three-over 74, while the man he beat, Kirk Triplett, was one better at plus-two.

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