Troy Matteson is showing no signs of feeling pressure early in Round 3. The 36-hole leader two-putted from inside 10 feet for birdie on the par-5 second, then made a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 3 to reach 15 under and increase his lead to two at TPC Deere Run. Matteson's best finish thus far in 2012 is a tie for 26th at The Honda Classic. He projects to move to 41st in the FedExCup standings with a victory. Giving chase is Brian Harman, who is 1 under through four holes today and 13 under for the week. Another shot back are Jamie Lovemark, who posted an early 64 today, Billy Hurley III, John Senden, Robert Garrigus, Ricky Barnes and J.J. Henry. Steve Stricker, who is looking for a fourth consecutive victory at the John Deere Classic, is another shot back at 11 under.

Jamie Lovemark knows what he must do this week at the John Deere Classic. It’s win, or lose his TOUR card. The 24-year-old has responded well thus far, starting with rounds of 71 and 66 before Saturday’s stellar 7-under 64 that puts Lovemark at 12 under for the week and just one back of leader Troy Matteson, who has yet to tee off in Round 3. A 2010 graduate and Player of the Year on the Web.com Tour, a back injury limited Lovemark to just nine starts in his rookie season on the PGA TOUR. He’s now playing on the final start of a Major Medical Extension where only the winner’s $828,000 share of the purse would be enough to allow Lovemark to retain status. He would, of course, earn two years of status with a victory. In 15 starts this year, Lovemark has earned $97,111 as he’s made just five cuts. He entered the season needing to make $633,473 in 16 starts to retain his TOUR card. Lovemark could gain conditional status for the rest of the 2012 season with a four-way tie for second or a solo third-place finish ( click here for more on Lovemark’s Major Medical Extension ). Anything short of that and he'll lose his status on the PGA TOUR. "I've kind of made my peace with it," Lovemark said. "Whatever happens next year is going to happen next year. Doesn't both me. Obviously I want to be out here again. There are multiple ways to get back on TOUR, this week being one of them. ...  I've played plenty of events out here to have my chance if I don't get my card. It is what it is." After a birdie-eagle start to his third round, Lovemark cooled, adding just two birdies against a bogey over his next 13 holes. He rebounded from his bogey on the 14th with a par at No. 15 then back-to-back-to-back birdies to close out his round of 64, which currently stands as the day’s best.

The leaders are about to start their third rounds at the John Deere Classic and fittingly, they’re all seeing green lights. The average winning score in the last 10 years at TPC Deere Run has been 19 under, so 36-hole leader Troy Matteson knows he can’t rest on his laurels after posting a 13-under mark to this point. “On a course like this you just got to try to keep shooting 5 , 6 , 7 under a day as best you can,” he said. “You really don't know what's going to happen. A guy could shoot 59 the last day and you shoot 6 under and you get lapped. You can't really plan for that.” Joining Matteson in this afternoon’s 1:42 p.m. ET final pairing is 48-year-old three-time TOUR winner Jeff Maggert, whose 9-under 62 was Friday’s best score. “I feel like I need another really good score, too,” Maggert said. “Feel like I need a 7 or 8 under the next Saturday or Sunday to keep myself in position. You don't expect to come out and shoot 9 under par every day, but I feel like I'm going to need one more really good round and then another round that's solid.” Maggert’s last TOUR victory came in 2006 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Matteson’s two TOUR victories came at two different tournaments called the Frys.com Open -- the first at TPC Summerlin in what is now the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Playing ahead of the final pairing are Brian Harman (-12) and J.J. Henry (-11). Gary Christian (-11) and Ricky Barnes (-11) are another group ahead while Robert Garrigus (-11) is joined by a three-time champion here who has more TOUR wins than the other seven players mentioned combined. Steve Stricker, a 12-time TOUR winner seeking the “Stricker Slam” this week at TPC Deere Run enters today’s action just three back of the lead. Stricker’s last two third rounds at the John Deere Classic have been a 62 and a 63, both leaving him with the 54-hole lead. “There is a lot of good players and a long ways to go, so I just have to keep doing my thing,” Stricker said. “I need a low round. That's what it's going to take. One of these two rounds on Saturday or Sunday I'm going to have to put up a real low one and get right in there.” Long story short, don’t expect anyone to slow the torrid scoring pace they’ve been on in the early going. “It's a shootout,” Matteson said. “These tournaments where you got to shoot 20 plus under to win are really fun because we get to make a lot birdies and see how the chips fall at the end of the day. It will be a very interesting finish.”

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent SILVIS, Ill. -- Look at Steve Stricker's stats and he appears to be a middle-of-the-field golfer. He's 17th in fairways and 49th in Strokes Gained-Putting. Stricker has not hit his best stuff and yet is still 10 under and in the top 10 after a second-round 67 on Friday at the John Deere Classic. That's a tribute to his experience and his patience. Stricker is one hot putting round away from winning his fourth straight John Deere title. I-l-l, i-n-i: What a nice day for Luke Guthrie. In just his second PGA TOUR event, the former University of Illinois athlete is 9 under. And he has a lot of Illini in him. Guthrie's brother, Zach, is caddying for him this week. Zach is an assistant golf coach at Illinois. Luke is also still using university issued golf balls. His ball bears the big orange "I" with the Illini logo. Guthrie also got a lesson in slow play on Friday. His group was out of position and on the clock starting at the seventh. Guthrie walked quickly to the eighth tee to hit his drive and promptly blocked one into the woods and made bogey. He called it a rookie mistake and a learning experience. Guthrie tied for 19th in his first TOUR event at this year's FedEx St. Jude Classic. Big hitter: Robert Garrigus is averaging 318 yards per drive this week and yet that does not accurately reflect how far he hits the ball. The official drive number comes from just two measured holes each day. Garrigus hit several drives in the XXL category. At the 457-yard, 18th hole, Garrigus hit his drive 359 yards and had just 91 yards to the hole. At the par-5, second hole, Garrigus hit it 357 yards off the tee. With that tremendous distance, Garrigus still has managed to hit 21 of 28 fairways but only 28 of 36 greens. If Garrigus sharpens his approach shots and putting, he could win this tournament. College day: Friday was University of Illinois day at the John Deere. Thursday was University of Iowa day. In my unscientific survey, I saw more orange and navy on Friday then black and gold on Thursday. The Illini were well represented with alumni such as Steve Stricker, Luke Guthrie and D.A. Points. Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and is inside the ropes this week at the John Deere Classic. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.

Jeff Maggert shot a bogey-free, 9-under 62 in the second round of the John Deere Classic on Friday, good enough to move him within a stroke of the lead. Maggert, who shot his 10th round of 66 or better this season, hasn't won since the 2006 FedEx St. Jude Classic. Maggert, 48, is ranked 94th in FedExCup points. Maggert has three PGA TOUR wins in his career. He also played on three Ryder Cup teams.

Troy Matteson held on to the top spot. J.J. Henry, Jeff Maggert and Brian Harman shot themselves into contention. And Steve Stricker remained in the hunt for a record-tying fourth straight title at the John Deere Classic. Matteson backed up his 61 with a 3-under 68 in the second round at TPC Deere Run on Friday in Silvis, Ill., taking a one-shot lead into the weekend over Maggert (62) and Harman (65) and a two-shot lead over a group that included Henry (64) and Ricky Barnes (67). "It's just always tough when you shoot a low one to come to the golf course the next day," Matteson said. "I got here early. You get a little out of sync because you're anxious to get out there and play and see what you do. "But, you know, all in all I felt pretty good with what we did today.  Because we did hit the loose shots that we hit, we got away with most of 'em." Maggert, playing well of late, carded his 10th round of 66 or better this season. After nine birdies and no bogeys, he's looking for his first victory since the 2006 FedEx St. Jude Classic. Stricker, meanwhile, is attempting to become just the fifth player in history to win the same tournament four times in succession, joining Young Tom Morris (British Open 1868-70, 1872), Walter Hagen (PGA Championship 1924-27), Gene Sarazen (Miami Open 1926, 1928-30), and Tiger Woods (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard 2000-03; Buick Invitational 2005-08). He carded a 67, with his lone bogey coming on the 11th.  He's tied for seventh place, three shots back at 10 under. Last season, Stricker was two shots back through 36 holes. In 2010, he led by one shot. In 2009, he was three shots back. So he's certainly capable of making history this weekend. "I need a low round," Stricker said. "That's what it's going to take.  One of these two rounds on Saturday or Sunday I'm going to have to put up a real low one and get right in there."

Ricky Barnes is plenty long, a good iron player and makes his share of birdies. But the one thing holding him back -- and perhaps the reason the 31-year-old is still searching for his first PGA TOUR win -- is his putting. Barnes is changing that in a big way this week -- and it shows. Barnes, ranked 180th out of 184 players in Strokes Gained-Putting this season, was ranked fourth in the field in SGP in Round 1 at the John Deere Classic. He has continued his solid iron play -- and putting -- in Round 2 on Friday en route to a 4-under 67, highlighted by an eagle 3 on the 17th hole. Barnes trails leader Troy Matteson by two shots heading into the weekend. "11 under after two rounds. If you would have told me that on Thursday morning before I teed off, I’ll take it. And here I am," Barnes said. Barnes, 98th in FedExCup points, Barnes ranks 39th in greens in regulation and 25th in total birdies on the year. But his putting has always held him back. He ranked 172nd in SGP in 2011, 98th in '10 and 184 of 184 in '09. His best finishes this season are third at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and T25 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance -- his only two top-25s of the year.

The Tommy Biershenk who stands 10 under at the midway point of the John Deere Classic doesn’t feel like the same player who missed his last six cuts. The change? An attitude adjustment that is paying big dividends at TPC Deere Run. The PGA TOUR rookie posted consecutive 66s -- marking just the second time he's shot back-to-back rounds in the 60s this year -- and Biershenk was three strokes off the lead when he finished on Friday. The Clemson grad's best finish this year is 50th at the Valero Texas Open but he's put himself in position for a much better result this week. "I told myself, Let's go out and have a little bit more fun," Biershenk said. "Certainly hitting it a little bit better and giving myself more opportunities and putting good. Getting it up and down when I miss the greens. The golf course is not that hard.  Hit the fairways and greens, there's a lot of birdies out there.     "My game is just better this week. That's what the difference is, as opposed to weeks leading up into here I was thinking too much and struggling a little bit. I've had fun the last few days. I'm going into the weekend with the same mindset. Going out to have a good time, have fun, and hit golf shots." Biershenk admitted it's difficult not to press when the results aren't there. He had an interesting round on Friday -- making just one par, two bogeys and eight birdies in his first 11 holes. A hot putter has been the key in the first two rounds, he used 25 in Thursday’s 66 and 27 on Friday. "You have to reminded yourself each week is an opportunity to change your life," Biershenk said. "I knew coming into this week I'd been struggling. Just got to keep my head held high and stay confident.  I knew my game was going to come around eventually.     "I'm start to go feel the old Tommy.  I'm starting to hit shots where I'm lining up at and certainly making the putts I need to make. Roundabout, my game is getting better and I'm staying patient.... "Feel pretty good about my game. It's a good feeling to finally put myself in contention instead of playing bad. ... Certainly a whole more fun to be playing good."