Palmer edges in front at Ginn sun Mer Classic

MIAMI (Reuters) - American Ryan Palmer fired a tidy one-under 71 in difficult scoring conditions to grab a one-shot lead at the midway point of the Ginn sur Mer Classic on Friday.

Palmer, battling for a spot among the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list to keep his playing privileges for next year, mixed a pair of birdies with a single bogey on a blustery day at Conservatory course in Palm Coast, Florida for a combined six-under 138.

Australians Peter Lonard (69) and Robert Allenby (71) and Americans Ken Duke (69) and Michael Letzig (74) are a shot back at five-under 139.

First-round leaders Letzig and Kent Jones, who began the day with a two-shot cushion, saw their advantage quickly slip away in a barrage of bogeys.

Letzig, chasing a first win, got his day off to a bright start with a birdie but followed up with bogey, double-bogey, bogey run over the next three holes to tumble down the leaderboard.

The PGA Tour rookie recovered with back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 to stay in contention.

Former world number one David Duval, who is still searching for his first top 20 result, sits just two shots back of the leader after signing for a three-under 69.

Sweden's Daniel Chopra, who opened the defense of his Ginn title with a nine-over 81, followed up with a seven-over 79 to miss the two-over cut by a massive 14 shots.

The penultimate event on the PGA Tour calendar, the stakes are high at the Ginn Sur Mer Classic with many in the field fighting to squeeze their way into the top 125 on the money list.

That desperation was underlined by American Jeff Overton.

Sitting 126th on the money list, Overton is playing in the Ginn sur Mer event just 10 days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, fighting his way into the weekend with a two-over 73 to sit on even par at the midway point.

(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Peter Rutherford)