Harry Hall cards eight-under 62 for three-shot lead at Charles Schwab Challenge; Michael Block in last place on 11 over after seven bogeys and three triple bogeys; watch round two on Sky Sports Golf on Friday (early coverage from 5.30pm, full action from 9pm)
Friday 26 May 2023 09:26, UK
England's Harry Hall shot an eight-under 62 to take the lead on day one of the Charles Schwab Challenge but PGA Championship star Michael Block props up the field after an 11-over 81.
Hall's blemish-free round, in which he carded eight birdies and needed only 22 putts, earned him a three-stroke advantage over Harris English and put him four clear of a group including Tom Hoge.
Block, the California-based club pro who lit up last week's PGA Championship by finishing tied for 15th and sinking a hole-in-one on the final day while playing alongside Rory McIlroy, toiled on Thursday.
The 46-year-old is 19 shots behind Hall having bogeyed his first three holes and then double bogeyed three of his final four during a trying round at Colonial Country Club in Texas.
Block, given a sponsor's exemption to appear at the Charles Schwab Challenge and at the RBC Canadian Open in June after his PGA Championship exploits, said: "It is what it is.
"I'm going to live with it. I thought it was going to happen that third or fourth round last week at Oak Hill, and it never happened. It happened now, and I wasn't surprised by it, to tell you the truth.
"I'm looking forward to coming out [Friday], playing a great round and giving it everything I have. I've shot 58, and I've shot a 59 in my life - I wouldn't be surprised if I did it. If I do, cool. If not, I'll be seeing my kids and my wife. It's all good one way or the other."
Block, whose top-15 at the PGA Championship earned him a spot in that major at Valhalla next year, picked up two birdies around his seven bogeys and trio of triple bogeys in Fort Worth on Thursday.
Hall - a player with two recent top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, at the Puerto Rico Open and then the Mexico Open - missed seven greens but played those holes in one under par, with a highlight chipping in from 80 feet for a birdie on the par-four 12th.
The 25-year-old, who picked up seven gains across his first 12 holes and then a final one at 18, said: "I was really in the moment out there and determined to play some good golf.
"The seven out of seven scrambles doesn't really surprise me because that's the best part of my game. The way I hit the ball the first two-thirds of that round was pretty special."
Defending champion Sam Burns and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler carded three-under first rounds, leaving them five behind Hall.
Watch full round-two coverage from the Charles Schwab Challenge live on Sky Sports Golf from 9pm on Friday. Early coverage gets under way at 5.30pm on the same channel.
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