(Photo credit score: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images)
Jordan Smith of England carded a 65 for the second straight day to edge forward of the pack and declare the 36-hole lead on Friday on the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
Smith’s second spherical started with an eagle-birdie burst on the primary two holes at Colonial Country Club. It wasn’t till the par-4 14th that he made his first and solely bogey of the event.
At 10-under-par 130, Smith holds a one-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama of Japan (65), Brian Harman (66), Ryan Gerard (67) and Michael Thorbjornsen (65).
Gerard was certainly one of six co-leaders who shot a 64 within the first spherical, however that group unfold out throughout the leaderboard through the second spherical. J.J. Spaun is the one different one nonetheless within the high 10, as his 68 Friday left him at 8 below par and tied for sixth. Andrew Putnam shot an even-par 70 whereas Matt McCarty (71), Lee Hodges (71) and Tom Kim of South Korea (72) dropped a number of locations on a day when 70 gamers broke 70.
Spaun sits two photographs again together with Akshay Bhatia (65), Russell Henley (66), Brice Garnett (66) and Alex Smalley (67), who stays in rivalry for his first PGA Tour win two weeks after he was the shock 54-hole chief on the PGA Championship.
Canadian A.J. Ewart fired a 63, the spherical of the day by two strokes, thanks largely to a hole-in-one on the par-3 sixteenth as a part of his first 9. He light his tee shot on the 197-yard gap completely onto the inexperienced and watched his ball roll a number of ft straight into the cup.
Ewart trails Smith by three at 7 below, which ties him with countryman Mackenzie Hughes (67) in addition to Michael Brennan (66) and Mac Meissner (67).
The lower line fell at 2 below par. Notables who did not make the weekend included Tony Finau (even par), Camilo Villegas of Colombia (even), Webb Simpson (2 over), Rickie Fowler (3 over) and South Korea’s Sungjae Im (6 over).
–Field Level Media