South Africa’s Tim Clark shot a six-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead in the second round of the rain-hit Colonial Invitational on Friday.
Much of the field was unable to finish their second round due to the heavy rain that hampered play on the first two days of the event and a 36-hole cut has yet to be established. Second-round play was to continue early on Saturday.
Clark had to play 27 holes at a sodden Colonial Country Club on Friday, completing his first round with a 65 and then going one better in his second 18 holes of the day.
The South African leads Arron Oberholser by a stroke after the American shot a second round of 66 for a two-round total of 130.
”I’ve been watching the Weather Channel a lot, so I knew the conditions would change with all the rain,” Oberholser said. ”It’s going to be difficult, but you still have to strike your ball.”
Clark, who finished second in the 2006 Masters and tied for 13th this year, said he had been struggling for much of the past six to seven months with a neck problem. ”It’s been going on too long, and it’s starting to affect my confidence,” he said.
But he looked full of confidence in difficult conditions on Friday with a bogey-free second round, which included six birdies.
World number three Jim Furyk shot a four-under 66 on Friday to sit tied for third with Ben Curtis two shots off the pace.
”We’ll have to wait until the scores all come in from the second round and see if the field is bunched up for the weekend or not,” said Furyk, who mixed five birdies with a bogey.
Earlier on Friday, South Korean Kevin Na completed his first round with a seven-under 63 to tie Anthony Kim for the lead.
Na shot a 69 in the second round for a tie of fifth place three shots behind Clark, while Kim was unable to complete his second round. — Reuters