Jonas Blixt fires superb 64 to earn halfway lead at Colonial Country Club
Wednesday 29 May 2019 10:05, UK
Jonas Blixt put himself on course for a first individual PGA Tour victory for almost six years after a high-quality 64 earned him the halfway lead at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas.
Blixt carded four birdies and a superb long-range hole-out for eagle on the penultimate hole at Colonial Country Club which lifted him one-shot clear of the chasing pack led by Kevin Na, who stormed into contention with a best-of-the-day 62, and Ryder Cup star Tony Finau.
Wily veteran Jim Furyk is also in the hunt on five under alongside local favourite Jordan Spieth, who needed two late birdies to salvage a level-par 70 after another erratic day for the three-time major champion.
Blixt emerged as the outright leader after the Swede took advantage of the friendly, early scoring conditions, making birdies at the opening two holes before following a run of nine straight pars with further gains at 12 and 13.
The 35-year-old then produced one of the highlights of the tournament at the 17th, where his pinpoint approach from 132-yards pitched within a yard of the flag and spun into the cup for a spectacular eagle-two which got him to nine under par.
Na also enjoyed a hot start to his round when he smote a stunning 245-yard second to within three feet at the first to set up an opening eagle, and he went on to make six birdies while keeping a bogey off his card.
Overnight-leader Finau was not as fluent as on day one as he started on the 10th and parred his first nine holes before mixing three birdies with a lone bogey on the front nine in a 68 which hauled him alongside Na in a share of second.
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Rory Sabbatini looked a likely 36-hole leader when he enjoyed a sparkling run of six birdies in eight holes, but he then got into bunker trouble at the third and sixth and bogeyed both to slip two strokes off the pace heading into the weekend.
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Furyk was clearly at home on one of the PGA Tour's shorter layouts and used his tee-to-green consistency to great effect in a classy 66, while Nick Watney, CT Pan and Jason Dufner are also on five under with Spieth.
The 2016 champion, still without a win since his thrilling triumph in The Open at Royal Birkdale, picked up an early birdie at the second before dropping shots at the fourth, eighth and ninth to stumble to the turn in 37.
Spieth bounced back when he holed from 50 feet for an unlikely birdie at the 10th and drained another from similar range two holes later, but his fine work with the putter was undone by further mistakes on the next two holes.
But after bogeys at three of the par-threes, Spieth found his range at the 16th where his tee-shot narrowly cleared the water hazard and rolled to tap-in range, and he got another good putt to drop for a closing birdie which saw him return to five under.
Tyrrell Hatton is the leading British challenger on three under after he carded six birdies in an impressive 66, while world No 3 Justin Rose made it safely through to the weekend as he followed up his opening 74 with a 67 - one over par for the tournament.
