Memphis, TN – Harris English fired a 6-under 64 on Friday to grab a 2-stroke lead after two rounds of the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
English, who is searching for his first win on the PGA Tour, ended 36 holes at 10-under-par 130.
Shawn Stefani carded a 65 to move into second place at minus-8. Paul Haley II and Scott Stallings both carded 2-under 68s and are tied for third at 5-under- par 135.
Davis Love III and Glen Day, who both shared the first-round lead with English and three others, managed even-par 70s on Friday. They dipped into a share of fifth at minus-4. Love and Day were joined there by Doug LaBelle II (66), Justin Hicks (69), Nicholas Thompson (69).
The other three first-round co-leaders were Stuart Appleby, Martin Flores and Nathan Green. Appleby posted a 71 to end at minus-3, while Flores tripped to a 2-over 72 and is one back at 2-under 138. Green faltered to a 5-over 75 and made the cut on the number of plus-1.
English, one of the six first-round co-leaders, got off to a flying start with birdies on the first and second, both from inside 10 feet. He drained a 17- footer at the third to make it three in a row.
The 23-year-old from Georgia holed out for eagle from 181 yards out on the par-4 fifth. That moved him to 9-under and he followed with nine consecutive pars from the sixth.
"I was playing a little short of it because that green goes front to back pretty good down grain. It landed about 10 or 12 feet short and kicked right and rolled right in," English said of the eagle.
English converted a 15-foot birdie effort on No. 15 and he made it two in a row with a 9-footer for birdie at 16. After a par at 17, English stumbled to a bogey at the last after his drive found the rough.
"I'm still getting comfortable out here. Just trying to get in the hunt of a golf tournament every time," English admitted. "When I get in that kind of situation, everything is pretty much going my way and I'm very much in control of my ball. I'm really trying to birdie every hole."
Stefani was one off the lead to start the day and he reeled off six straight pars from the 10th to start his round. At the par-5 16th, he chipped within three feet and drained that effort for his first birdie of the day.
Around the turn, the 31-year-old Texan birdied the third from 12 feet out, then converted a 15-footer for birdie at the fourth to move to minus-6.
Stefani, a two-time winner on the Web.com Tour last year, stuffed his tee shot inside two feet at the eighth and kicked that in for birdie. He closed his round in style with a 15-foot birdie effort on No. 9 to get within two.
"I started playing well on Monday for the U.S. Open qualifier and just wanted to keep hitting good shots. Then this week was really a good golf course. I like the way the course looks," said Stefani. "I'm just trying to focus on one shot at a time."
NOTES: English's 64 was the low round of the day ... Defending champion Dustin Johnson carded an even-par 70 to end two rounds tied for 10th at 3-under 137 ... David Toms was the last repeat winner in 2003-04 ... The cut line fell at 1-over-par 141 with 77 players advancing to the weekend ... Among those that missed the cut were Brandt Snedeker, Trevor Immelman, amateur Tianlang Guan, Paul Goydos, Aaron Baddeley, Ricky Barnes and Tim Herron.
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