Franklin Langham has piled up 15 birdies in his first 36 holes at Willow Creek. (Steve Levin/WireImage)

SANDY, Utah -- A 4-under 67 moved Franklin Langham into sole possession of the lead at the midway point of the Nationwide Tour's $500,000 Utah Championship on Friday.

With relative ease, the 1991 graduate of the University of Georgia moved to 12-under-par 130 and a one-stroke advantage over Edward Loar (66), Richard Johnson (64), first-round co-leader Craig Lile (68) and 2005 Utah Championship winner Garrett Willis (64).

"The putter feels really good in my hand right now," said the 39-year-old Langham, who ended the day with 27 putts. "No matter how good you hit it, you still have to make the putts."

Just one day after equaling the tournament record with a 63 at the par-71 Willow Creek Country Club, Langham posted six birdies and two bogeys to separate himself from the pack.

"I didn't hit it quite as well today," said Langham, who hit 10 of 12 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation. "I hit a couple of loose shots but still played a solid round of golf."

Langham will enter the weekend seeking his third career Nationwide Tour victory, with earlier wins coming at the 1993 Permian Basin Open and the 2004 Rheem Classic. Even more important, a good finish will move him off of the bubble of being one of the 60 players who will advance to the Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek. He currently sits in 57th place on the money list.

"It is too early to start thinking about that, but all in all, I'm happy with where I'm at," said Langham, referring to his search for career win No.3. "You can't win it on the first two days but you can certainly shoot yourself out of it."

Holding the second-round lead is nothing new for Langham. This marks the seventh time in his Nationwide Tour career he has held the 36-hole lead, with two of those leading to victories at the 1993 Permian Basin Open and the 2004 Rheem Classic. Most recently, he finished in a tie for third at the 2006 Chitimacha Louisiana Open after holding the lead at the midway point. On the PGA TOUR, Langham held the 36-hole lead at the 2000 Doral Ryder Open -- eventually falling by two shots to champion Jim Furyk.

"It makes a good story to write that stuff, but you just take it one day at a time and one shot at a time," he said.

Loar stayed within shouting distance of Langham with a 5-under 66, just one shot higher than his opening 65. Up to this point, he has equaled the nine-hole tournament record on Willow Creek's front and back nine -- recording a 6-under 29 on the front nine on Thursday and a 7-under 29 on the back nine on Friday.

"Something has clicked for me this week," said Loar. "I'm striking it well and getting it in the hole."

Loar has achieved plenty of success throughout his golfing career. As an amateur, he won five collegiate titles at Oklahoma State University and prestigious titles at the 1999 and 2000 Sunnehanna Amateur. Professionally, he has won twice on the Asian Tour (2003 Thailand Open, 2004 Korean Open), but up to this point has found his rookie campaign on the Nationwide Tour a learning experience. Coming into this week, he has made the cut in just four of 13 starts -- with a 12th-place finish at the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic his best showing.

"I've had a little rockier start to my Nationwide Tour career than I had envisioned," said Loar, who is 149th on the Tour money list. "But that is the beauty of golf ... it only takes one week."

Second-Round News & Notes: The cut came at 4-under-par 138 with 65 players advancing to the weekend. ... The shot of the day was turned in by Tyler Leon (70) with a 6-iron from 199 yards on the par-3 second hole. It was the 12th ace in tournament history and the 23rd this year. ... Barry Schenk birdied three of the last four holes at Glen Eagle Golf Course on Wednesday to record a 66 and become one of the 14 qualifiers to gain entry into the field. On Friday, the former Weber State standout birdied four of his final five holes to move to 5-under 137 and make the cut in his first Nationwide Tour start. ... Of the three sets of brothers participating this week, Daniel Summerhays (4 under) and Brenden Pappas (4 under) were the only ones to make the cut. Those who missed the cut included Deane Pappas (3 under), Boyd Summerhays (1 over), Tony Finau (6 over) and Gipper Finau (12 over). ... While the Finau brothers both missed the cut, they did lead the field the first two days in driving distance. Gipper finished with a 360-yard average, while Tony posted a 349.8 mark. ... 2005 Presidents Cup International Team member Mark Hensby (66) moved to 9-under 133. ... 2004 Ryder Cup participant Chris Riley finished the first two days at 1 over to miss the cut. ... Through the first 24 events, eight players have carried the second-round lead to victory, including most recently Brad Elder at the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. ... There were 11 bogey-free rounds during the second round, bringing the total for the week to 18. Players without a bogey on Friday included Garrett Willis (64), Josh Broadaway (65), Vance Veazey (66), Jason Schultz (66), Michael Letzig (66), Danny Briggs (66), Mark Hensby (66), David McKenzie (66), Wil Collins (68), Kris Blanks (68) and David Mathis (70). ... John Kimbell withdrew prior to the start of the second round, while Mike Capone and Danny Ellis withdrew during the round with injuries.

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