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Eagle boosts Blixt to Colonial lead, Finau and Na one back
LOS ANGELES, May 25, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Jonas Blixt holed out for eagle at the 17th hole Friday on the way to a six-under par 64 and a one-shot lead in the US PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
Blixt set an early target with a bogey-free round at Colonial Country Club, where opened with back-to-back birdies and birdied two more at 12 and 13.
But the highlight of his day came at the par-four 17th, where his second shot from 132 yards out in the fairway bounced feet from the pin and rolled in for an eagle that moved him to nine-under 131 through 36 holes.
Blixt posted his lowest round of the season, and said he hoped he could keep it rolling through the weekend as he pursues a fourth US tour title.
“The test is going to be this weekend,” he said, “if I can have a good weekend or not.”
He was one stroke in front of first-round leader Tony Finau, who followed his opening 64 with a 68, and American Kevin Na, who fired an eight-under par 62 for 132.
Rory Sabbatini, who won at Colonial in 2007, fired a second-round 66 and was alone in fourth on 134.
Na, who like Blixt played in less windy morning conditions, launched his round with an eagle at the par-five first and added six birdies in another impressive display at Colonial.
Na, who is not among the tour’s big hitters, says the classic, compact Colonial suits his game. He fired a 62 in the first round last year and a 61 on Sunday on the way to a fourth-place finish.
“I like this golf course,” Na, a three-time PGA Tour winner, said. “One of those golf courses I look forward to coming to. Fits my game. You’ve got to take advantage of those weeks because there is not too many golf courses like this on tour anymore.”
Finau had three birdies and a bogey in his last nine holes to stay in touch.
Local favorite Jordan Spieth, who started the day one stroke off the lead, fired a 70 to drop four adrift.
Spieth enjoyed another strong putting performance — including a 50-footer at the 10th and a 46-foot putt at the 12th — which he said kept him in it despite too many missed fairways.
But he also missed three par putts from within 10 feet.
“They were kind of misreads,” he said of his mid-range misses. “They weren’t bad strokes, that’s the difference.”
Colonial was unkind to a string of top-ranked players, with world number eight Bryson DeChambeau, No. 9 Xander Schauffele, No. 10 Rickie Fowler and No. 11 Jon Rahm all missing the cut.
Fowler saw a streak of 21 straight made cuts end.
BSS/AFP/AU/09:50 hrs