FORT WORTH, Texas — Jordan Spieth made light work of the “Horrible Horseshoe” to surge into contention after his second round of the weather-hit Colonial tournament here Friday.
Bryce Molder tops the leaderboard at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth on nine-under after 15 holes of his second round, a stroke ahead of Webb Simpson (67).
Spieth shot a 66 to post a seven-under-par 133 halfway total and is tied for third at seven-under with Patrick Reed, who played just eight holes Friday.
Half the field did not complete the second round due to a five-hour morning thunderstorm delay, with some managing only six holes.
Spieth, who started at the 10th, picked up four shots in five holes after the turn, including birdies at the difficult fourth and fifth.
“That was a big back nine to climb back into contention. I was very pleased with that run there,” Spieth told Golf Channel.
The world No. 2 added that he was shaping 90 percent of his shots with a draw, moving the ball from right to left, to increase his “comfort level.”
Spieth was particularly satisfied to play the difficult three-hole stretch from No. 3 dubbed the “Horrible Horseshoe” in two under par.
The second round will resume Saturday at 7:30 a.m. local time (1230 GMT), with the third scheduled to start early afternoon.
Molder looked set to take a handy lead to bed after five front-nine birdies, but a double-bogey at the par-four 12th brought him back to the field.
Clubhouse leader Simpson has had to adjust to a regular-length putter since ditching his long stick last year ahead of the Jan. 1 “anchoring” ban and expressed satisfaction with his work on the greens.
“I’ve switched putters and been putting great the past couple of days,” said the 2012 US Open champion.
Jutanugarn in charge
Ariya Jutanugarn, targeting a third straight LPGA Tour victory, splashed a long bunker shot for a tap-in birdie at the final hole to earn a two-shot lead after two rounds of the inaugural Volvik Championship in Michigan Friday.
Ariya, who began one shot behind overnight leader Christina Kim, made nine pars on the front side, before clicking into gear after the turn to shoot 68 for an 11-under-par 133 halfway total at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor.
The 20-year-old Thai finished with a flourish at the par-five 18th, where her second shot clattered into a grandstand but ricocheted into a greenside sand trap, from where she demonstrated her deft touch.
The closing birdie gave her some breathing room ahead of a trio equal second on nine-under 135 — Americans Kim (71) and Marina Alex (67) and Ryu So-yeon of South Korea (67).
Coming off back-to-back wins at the Yokohama Tire Classic and Kingsmill Championship, Ariya played with world number one Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who posted her second successive 71 for 142.
The Thai said the course had firmed up since her morning round on Thursday. The course condition, allied to her length off the tee, has prompted her not to carry a driver in her bag this week.
“I didn’t hit my iron that good but still OK and I start to make some putt on the back nine,” she told reporters.
“Today is a lot more firm than yesterday, so it’s really hard to approach on the second shot.”
Ariya is trying to become the first player to win three in a row since South Korea’s Park In-bee three years ago.
