Andrew Loupe takes two-shot lead at weather-hit John Deere Classic

Andrew Loupe opened up a two-shot lead at the end of a rain-affected opening day of the John Deere Classic in Illinois.

Loupe made eight birdies in the 14 holes he was able to complete on Thursday, breaking out of a tie for top spot with four more American players by picking up shots at the 13th and 14th.

A huge storm hit TPC Deere Run during the late morning and forced a three-and-a-half hour delay, as well as dumping more than an inch of rain on the course.

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Loupe was among the later starters unable to complete their rounds but the soft conditions certainly made birdies easy to come by for them.

He picked up five strokes on the front nine and three more before darkness forced an end to proceedings - an errant drive into the trees on 15 would be his last shot of the day.

Until Loupe's late birdie blitz, Patrick Rodgers, Ryan Moore and Zach Johnson had seemed likely to be sharing the overnight lead.

All three players opened their tournament with rounds of 65, although Johnson was the only one of the trio to complete a bogey-free round.

They were also joined by Tom Gillis, who made birdies at the 14th and 15th to move to six under - he will have two holes to complete on Friday morning.

Scott Pinckney and Scott Brown finished with rounds of 66 while Morgan Hoffman and Geoff Ogilvy are on five-under with four and six holes left to complete respectively.

But there are a number of other players who could threaten the leaders on Friday when they return to complete their opening rounds, with some having only managed to complete seven holes, including Sweden's Henrik Norlander who is on three under.