Colne Valley golf club owner Paul Curry is currently on course to win a US tournament after taking a first round lead.

Curry is heading the leaderboard of the $2.6m John Deere Classic tournament in Illinois by two shots.

The 39-year-old professional, whose only win on the European tour came in 1994, played the best round of his six months so far on the US circuit with an eight-under-par 63.

He birdied three of the par five holes and did not record a single bogey.

Curry said: "It was just one of those days when the putts go in. When you have days like this, you wonder why you don't do it all the time.

"It's probably not going to be as good as that for the rest of the week. But I'll try and do the same things that I did in the first round and hope for the best."

But the Colne Valley golfer is closely followed by a pack of 15 American players who are up to four strokes behind.

Dad Bob Curry said he wasn't surprised by his son's good early form in the tournament.

He said: "Paul has been unlucky on the tour so far and has often missed the cut by only one or two shots.

"He's only halfway through his first year on the tour and every course he plays on is new.

"I think he's done extremely well but there's still another three rounds to go and a lot more golf to be played.

"I'm pleased he's doing well but it's easy to get too carried away."

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