Tom Kim of South Korea wrapped up the final hole of a 6-under-par 64 after a delay of more than two hours, making him one of six players with a share of the lead at the Charles Schwab Challenge on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Kim, J.J. Spaun, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Putnam, Matt McCarty and Lee Hodges are the sextet at 6 under. Hodges reached 7 under with three holes to go late Thursday evening, but he hit a wayward drive and had to lay up, leading to his only bogey of the day at his final hole, the ninth.
The first round at Colonial Country Club was suspended at 4:15 p.m. local due to a dangerous weather situation and did not resume until 6:19. At the time of the interruption, Gerard and Putnam had the clubhouse lead, while Kim had just the par-4 ninth left to play. The three-time PGA Tour winner two-putted from 52 feet to save par.
“Whether you’re playing great or not, just the horn blowing on the last hole just stinks,” Kim said. But it’s kind of part of it, and hopefully (I) manage my time well and rest well tonight.”
Before the delay, Kim made his run by birdieing seven holes in an eight-hole stretch between Nos. 14 and 3. A bogey-birdie-bogey run from Nos. 5-7 took him down a peg, but he was pleased with his game.
“Instead of thinking about the play or the finish,” he said, “every day I’m trying to build on what I’m working on and putting all the pieces together where hopefully I can keep getting my game better where I feel comfortable and start competing at a high level consistently.”
Kim, 23, won three times on the PGA Tour by the age of 21 but has fallen to No. 144 in the world rankings.
Putnam, who had a bogey-free day, seeks his second PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2018 Barracuda Championship. Gerard’s only win on tour, coincidentally, came at the Barracuda Championship last year. He mixed eight birdies with two bogeys Thursday.
“Swinging it nicely, hitting it where I want to for the most part, and just it was nice to get a couple putts to go in,” Gerard said. “I know the stats are probably going to lean more putting, but I’ve been hitting my driver really well and just like to continue doing what I’m doing for the rest of the week.”
Spaun birdied No. 18 after the suspension to conclude a bogey-free round. After winning the Valero Texas Open last month, he’s searching for another strong finish to propel him into next month’s U.S. Open, where he’s the defending champion.
Hodges, like many in the field, praised the course for its challenges but observed that it played softer from this week’s weather.
“Normally I feel like at this tournament someone shoots 8 under the first day, and 12 under wins the tournament,” said Hodges, another one-time winner on tour. “I think you’ll see some lower scores. Obviously I don’t know if there’s rain in the forecast or not, so it could get dry and firmer.”
A 12-man logjam at 5-under 65 included past major champions Keegan Bradley, Brian Harman and Gary Woodland, along with Alex Smalley, who’s seeking his first PGA Tour victory two weeks after he was the surprise 54-hole leader of the PGA Championship.
Max Homa, Russell Henley and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama stood at 4-under 66. Defending champion Ben Griffin opened with a 2-under 68.
–Field Level Media
