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Byrd takes control of AT&T Classic

17/05/2008

Jonathan Byrd shot his second successive round of six-under-par to take control of the AT&T Classic in Atlanta, Georgia at the halfway stage.

Byrd leads Kenny Perry and Ryan Palmer by three strokes after pulling away from a group of four other players who were tied with him for first place overnight.

The American made three consecutive birdies midway through the front nine before dropping his only shot of the day at the par-five sixth.

But two birdies after the turn and two more over the final three holes of the day helped him forge ahead of his rivals.

Despite his consistent form, Byrd said he was still disappointed with the shot he dropped and felt it would help keep him motivated for the rest of the tournament.

He said: "You just can't give away shots in a PGA tour event with guys that are this good, but it happened and it might motivate me to play better."

Perry is challenging for a title for the second week in a row having come close to winning the Players Championship. The 47-year-old fell away in the final round last time out but hopes to improve on that this week.

After bogeying the fourth hole Perry recovered well to pick up four birdies and stay in touch with Byrd at the top of the leaderboard.

Perry said: "I played good last week. I just got caught in a situation where it was very difficult on Sunday. But I take a lot from last week."