WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Connor Barwin Jersey .Va. - Billy Hurley III has been waiting for a breakthrough moment on the PGA Tour. On Independence Day, the former U.S. Navy officer might have set himself up for one this weekend in the Greenbrier Classic. Hurley shot a season-best 7-under 63 on Friday to take the second-round lead. Hurleys bogey-free round included a chip-in from 29 feet on No. 4 in cool conditions before the wind picked up considerably late in his morning round. "You know, anytime you play good, its great, right?" Hurley said. "Theres special days of the year for our country, and having served ... adds something to it. Its kind of pretty cool, I guess, to shoot 7 under on the 4th of July." Its a nice storyline. Then again, having military experience wasnt on his mind in jumping to the top of the leaderboard. "I was just trying to keep getting the ball in the hole," he said. Hurley was at 9-under 131 at Old White TPC. Eleven players were within four shots of him. Kevin Chappell (65) and Chris Stroud (66) were a stroke back. Troy Matteson Troy Matteson had a 61 to vault into fourth place at 7 under. He has made the cut in all five years of the Greenbrier Classic. Brice Garnett (66), Steve Stricker (68) and Chris Kirk (69) were another stroke back at 6 under. Hurley graduated from Annapolis in 2004 and spent five years in the Navy. He playing golf sparingly while stationed in Hawaii and worked out as much as he could. Being mentally tough on the course comes easy for Hurley, whose missions included steering a Navy destroyer through the Suez Canal. Playing partner Chris Stroud said it was "special" for a former military man to be leading the tournament and was amazed at how Hurley could recapture his golf game. "Theres a lot to be said about that," Stroud said. Hurley rejoined the PGA Tour this season and has three top 10 finishes so far, including a tie for eighth at Congressional last week. His best career finish is a tie for fourth in the AT&T National two years ago, also at Congressional. A solid ending at The Greenbrier resort would get him into the British Open later this month. The four best finishers not previously eligible among the top 12 on the final leaderboard will earn spots in the July 17-20 tournament at Royal Liverpool. Playing alongside good friend Hurley, Stroud birdied four of his first five holes but gained no more ground. Chappells round included holing a 35-yard pitch on the par-3 15th after a poor tee shot. Chappells only top 10 finish of the season came at Colonial. But this week, hes at ease amid the mountains, Howards Creek running through the Old White TPC and the rest of the resorts atmosphere. "You know, the course has a great flow to it, just at peace out there," he said. "All the running water and all the good scenery just puts me in a good spot." Matteson holed a 35-yard pitch on the par-3 15th and needed just 19 putts — one shy of the PGA Tour record held by eight players. "It was unlike any day Ive had this year," said Matteson, who had missed the cut in 11 of his previous 13 tournaments. "I just havent been getting it in the hole all year, and to have a day like this really kind of turns things around." Bubba Watson was among five players at 5 under. He shot 67. First-round leader Jonas Blixt had three early bogeys and shot 73 to drop into a tie for 25th at 3 under. FexEx Cup points leader Jimmy Walker (75) was among those who missed the cut. He finished 5 over. Ninety players advanced to weekend play at even par or better. Patrick Rodgers shot 75, but at even par for the tournament he made his third straight cut since turning pro. Bradley Fletcher Jersey . Cassano has been at the Policlinico facility since Saturday, when he was taken for tests after suffering what the club described as a brain problem on the team plane following the teams 3-2 victory over Roma. Cary Williams Jersey . All that matters to the son of a high school coaching legend is that hes the one they selected. "Its been my life-long dream to be an NFL head coach," Pettine said Thursday, "and however that opportunity presents itself, its fine with me.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonvilles offensive makeover is just getting starting. The Jaguars signed former Minnesota Vikings running back Toby Gerhart and former Denver Broncos guard Zane Beadles to contracts Wednesday, bringing the free agents in to replace longtime starters Maurice Jones-Drew and Uche Nwaneri. And former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders visited the facility Wednesday. Signing Sanders would give Jacksonville a potential replacement for wideout Justin Blackmon, who is suspended for repeated violations of the NFLs substance-abuse policy. "They know the pieces they want to put together," Beadles said. "They want to build this thing for the long haul and plug in some guys in certain areas that can really help bring this team along. Hopefully I can be one of those guys for this organization." The moves might not be the one Jacksonville really needs -- finding a franchise quarterback -- but they could help improve one of the leagues worst offences in recent years. The Jaguars ranked 31st in total offence last season, 29th in 2012 and 32nd in 2011. General manager Dave Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley did little to tweak the offence in their first season, outside of drafting left tackle Luke Joeckel with the second overall pick. But its clear theyre focused on revamping the offence this year. They let Jones-Drew walk, cut Nwaneri and traded quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft, to San Francisco in exchange for a sixth-round selection. Throw in longtime centre Brad Meesters retirement, and the Jaguars had plenty of holes. The already filled two in free agency. Gerhart signed a three-year deal worth $10.5 million that includes $4.5 million guaranteed. Beadles signed a five-year, $30 million contract that includes $12.5 million guaranteed. The team also re-signed quarterback Chad Henne and cornerback Will Blackmon, and signed free-agent defensive end Red Bryant and free-agent linebacker Dekoda Watson. The Jaguars arent done, eiither. Trent Cole Jersey. Sanders and former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Ziggy Hood could be next. Hood also visited Jacksonville on Wednesday. Clearly, the Jaguars are intent on spending some of the roughly $60 million of salary-cap space they opened free agency with. And the wisest investments could come on offence. Gerhart, a second-round pick by Minnesota in 2010, played in 61 games with six starts for the Vikings over four seasons. He has a modest 276 carries for 1,305 yards (4.7 yards a carry) and five touchdowns. He also had 77 receptions for 600 yards and three scores. His arrival likely shuts the door on Jones-Drew returning to Jacksonville. Bradley essentially named Gerhart the starter Wednesday, saying he would like to get him about 15 carriers a game. Gerhart welcomed the workload, especially after sitting behind All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson his entire career. "I dont have that mileage on me," Gerhart said. "Im a semi-proven veteran without the mileage on me." And Gerhart will have a revamped line to run behind, with Joeckel returning from a broken right ankle and the addition of Beadles. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Beadles was a second-round pick in 2010 who gave up just 2 1/2 sacks the last two years. His 62 starts are the second-most among offensive linemen who entered the NFL that season, just two behind San Franciscos Anthony Davis. Beadles missed just three snaps last season -- all at the end of a game -- and played every down in 2011 and 2012. "I take a huge amount of pride in my durability," he said. "Its something I hang my hat on. I try to take care of my body and eat healthy. I always want to be on the field." And maybe helping get Jacksonvilles offence turned around. "I heard great things about the direction of the organization," Beadles said. "In Denver, I went from a 4-12 team my rookie year to playing in the Super Bowl my fourth year. I want to be a part of that, helping bring this team along and hopefully we can get to that point eventually." ' ' '
