Guthrie rides putter to Illinois Open lead

University of Illinois junior Luke Guthrie changed putters earlier this summer and so far it's paying dividends.

Guthrie shot a second straight 3-under 66 and is leading the 61st lllinois Open through 36 of the 54-hole event at Hawthorn Woods Golf Club.

Guthrie is 6 under for the tournament, giving him a 1-stroke advantage over first-round co-leader Eric Meierdierks of Wilmette and Craig Onsrud of Normal.

"Putting has definitely been the strongest part of my game," said Guthrie, the 2009 Illinois Amateur champion. "It's allowed me to be more aggressive with some of my longer putts, knowing I can make the 5-footer coming back. It feels really good right now, so I'm going to let it ride."

Guthrie's success on Tuesday came despite hitting just 11 greens in regulation. The Quincy native had three birdies on his second nine holes (the front nine), and made a key up and down on five after bogeying number four.

"That really allowed me to have another 66," Guthrie said. "It's fun to play in this and feels good to know I can compete against a lot of other quality players. It will feel a lot better if I'm in this position tomorrow night, though."

For the second straight day, the normally par-five 17th hole played as a short par three due to standing water, making par 69 on the 6,669 course.

First-round co-leader and Illinois graduate Garrett Chaussard is tied for fifth at -2 after shooting a 2-over 71.

Illinois head coach Mike Small, who has won this tournament four times and finished runner-up another three, is tied for seventh and 5 strokes behind Guthrie at -1 after shooting 2 under 67.

"I had the chance to go really low today, but I couldn't sustain it because I only hit half my greens," said Small, who was 3 under for his round through nine holes Tuesday.

"I am really proud of my guys," Small continued. "There's a lot of satisfaction for me and it's really good for our program. To win it, I'm going to have shoot 6 or 7 under because I don't expect Luke to back up."

Gary Pinns holds the record for most Illinois Open titles at five.