Georgia, May 17:

Jonathan Byrd took advantage of soft fairways and receptive greens at TPC Sugarloaf, shooting his second straight 6-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead in the AT&T Classic.

Byrd, seeking his fourth victory on the US golf tour, shared the lead with Kenny Perry, Ryan Palmer and two others before the second round.

Perry and Palmer shot 69s to drop into a tie for second. Parker McLachlin, another first-round leader, shot 70 to drop into a three-way tie for fourth with Charles Howell III (69) and David Toms (69) at 8 under. Defending champion Zach Johnson (70) and Stewart Cink (71) were seven strokes back at 5 under. Byrd was upset with himself for a mental lapse that led to a three-putt at the par-5 sixth. It marked the only hole he played over par in the second round and just his second of the event.