FORT WORTH, Texas — JJ Spawn is thinking a little about his schedule and a lot about his putting while competing in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.
The reigning US Open champion believes both conditions will be just right three weeks before he attempts to defend his first major title.
Spaun made a breakthrough with four birdies on the front nine, but hit a few bogeys in the second half to finish with a 2-under 68. He was 8 under on Friday, and after 36 holes at Colonial, he was two strokes behind Briton Jordan Smith and one stroke behind three players including Hideki Matsuyama.
Smith took the sole lead with a 31-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th, then saved par from a bunker on the 17th and missed a 9-foot birdie on the 18th to finish 10 under with a 65 for the second year in a row.
“It’s going to be a new experience to be in the lead for the first time here,” said Smith, a 33-year-old PGA Tour rookie who qualified on the DP World Tour and had a best finish of third at the Valpar Championship. “We’re not going to force anything, we’re not going to rush anything, we’re just going to enjoy seeing what happens.”
Matsuyama and Michael Thorbjornsen, who also has 10 tour wins and is the 2021 Masters champion, were neck-and-neck in the 65-second range. Ryan Gerrard (67) is tied at 9 under with 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman (66).
Spawn was joined by Akshay Bhatia (65), Russell Henry (66), Bryce Garnett (66) and Alex Smalley (67).
AJ Ewart had his second hole-in-one in two days on the 195-yard par-3 16th, and Brandt Snedeker had an ace in the opening round, following up an opening 70 with a career-best 63, the low round of the day. He was 7 under, tied with Michael Brennan (66) and Mackenzie Hughes (67).
2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland was among 11 players at 6 under at Hogan’s Alley, but due to light winds and soft conditions, he posted a subpar score of 154 through two rounds. This tied the highest since 2010, when Zach Johnson set a 72-hole score record of 21-under 259.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s and the heat index near 100, and remain that way through the weekend. There is little chance of rain.
“It’s starting to dry out, probably the same way it dried out a little bit yesterday afternoon,” Herman said. “The fairways are going to get firmer, these fairways are going to be harder to hit, and that’s how this place protects itself.”
Defending champion Ben Griffin shot a 68 for the second year in a row and is tied with Justin Thomas at 4 under par, one stroke above the cut line.
Spawn was one of six players tied for the lead with an opening 64, but missed out on six of the first 13 tournaments of the year, including the Masters and the PGA Championship. He said he changed his putter because he lacked confidence on the greens.
Spaun, the highest-ranked player on the field at No. 9, continued his strong front nine with a 15-foot par putt on the 17th and was bogey-free in the tournament, missing two par putts from outside 15 feet on the seventh and eighth holes.
“I’m glad that switching putters turned out to be a good change,” Spaun said. “When I was out on the course, I sometimes felt bad about my putter. That was the only issue I had all year. My ball striking was pretty consistent. I would argue there were weeks where my putts were slightly better than average.”
Spawn’s other two wins, including one last month, both came at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio. He believes Sunday’s 27 holes, played in a rain-altered event, may have contributed to his 74-75 win at the Masters, and his 70-76 mark during his third straight week of play on the PGA.
After competing at the Memorial next week, Spaun will skip the Canadian Open and head to Shinnecock Hills.
“It’s nice to have a week off and get to Shinnecook and feel a little fresh, but it’s not like I’ve had too much of a break,” said Spaun, who missed Colonial’s neighboring event, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, last week.
Smith made 181-foot putts, including a 40-foot putt from the fringe on the par-4 12th hole. His long putt on the 16th came two holes after his only bogey of the tournament on the par-4 14th.
“My putter has been hot the last two days, so that’s nice,” Smith said. “My swing doesn’t feel 100 percent yet, but I’m hitting a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, and that’s the key here.”
