MADISON, Miss. -- The Southern Farm Bureau Classic has been a pretty good therapy session for a handful of PGA TOUR players.

D.J. Trahan continued to shake off a "dismal year," shooting a bogey-free 4-under 68 to move to 11-under 133 on Friday at Annandale Golf Club. He has a two-stroke lead over Brad Faxon and Joe Durant, who described their seasons alternately as "lousy" and "terrible," but sit at 9 under with 36 holes to play.

Trahan and Durant are trying to earn their full tour cards for 2007, while Faxon is trying to make up for a difficult season that has put him at 136th on the PGA TOUR money list. Faxon is one of the TOUR's steadiest players and hasn't finished out of the top 90 since 1985, his third year as a pro.

"There's a pride thing with that, too," said Faxon, who had knee surgery in the offseason. "I've done a lot of things I shouldn't have done this year. I'm hoping to make up for it the last four weeks."

Twenty-one players are within six strokes of the lead.

Mathias Gronberg (68) is 8 under, Skip Kendall (69) is alone at 7 under, and Ted Purdy (70), Robert Damron (69), Troy Matteson (66) and Nick Watney (71) are 6 under.

Thirteen players, including two-time champion Fred Funk (70), are four shots back. That group also included Glen Day (72), who is desperately trying to hang onto his TOUR eligibility. He briefly took the lead during the afternoon round at 10 under, but made three straight bogeys on Nos. 10 through 12 and a double bogey on 17.

After an opening-round 76, John Daly turned in Friday's best round with a 65 to avoid the cut. He is six shots back at 3 under.

Among those missing the cut at 1-over 145 were defending champion Heath Slocum, who shot a second-round 71 to finish at 4-over 148, and Jeff Sluman at 2-over 146.

The three players atop the leaderboard have all had their struggles this year.

D.J. Trahan has lead after the first two days in Mississippi (WireImage)

Trahan, a fourth-year pro, sits at No. 142 on the money list and needs a strong finish to earn his full TOUR card as a top-125 money winner. After eight birdies in the first round, he had a more difficult second round. He had just one birdie on the first 13 holes, but birdied on Nos. 5 and 7, both par 5s, and holed a 20-foot putt on the final hole to take a two-stroke lead.

"It's been such a frustrating year because I don't feel like I'm playing as poorly as the results show," Trahan said.

While Faxon earned his place on the leaderboard with 13 one-putt greens in his first 15 holes, Durant took a more dramatic approach. He made a 50-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th hole, then made a 20-foot chip on the par-5 seventh hole for eagle. He said he felt a "premonition" as he addressed the ball with a sand wedge.

"I got over that pitch and I saw in my mind very clearly where I wanted to land the ball and release it to the hole," he said. "I just pitched to my spot perfectly and it did exactly what I thought it would do and rolled in like a putt.

"You don't get those feelings often."

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