Andrew Landry tops crowded Careerbuilder leaderboard

LA QUINTA — Careerbuilder Challenge leader Andrew Landry was quick to point out the windy forecast.

After two perfect days for scoring, wind at 1520 mph with gusts to 30 mph was expected Saturday with the temperature only reaching the mid-60s after coming close to 80 on Friday.

And Landry and five others in the top nine were headed up the hill to PGA West’s oncefeared, Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course for the weekend.

“It’s going to be a tough day,” Landry said. “I know that golf course can get a little mean. Especially, those last three or four holes coming down the stretch.”

In calm conditions Friday, Landry shot a 7-under 65 on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course to reach 16 under. He opened with a 63 on Thursday at La Quinta Country Club.

“It’s like a dome out here,” Landry said.

Jon Rahm, the firstround leader after a 62 at La Quinta, was a stroke back. He had two early bogeys in a 67 on the Nicklaus layout.

“It’s tough to come back because I feel like I expected myself to go to the range and keep just flushing everything like I did yesterday,” Rahm said. “Everything was just a little bit off.”

Jason Kokrak was 14 under after a 67 at Nicklaus. Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was 13 under along with Michael Kim and Martin Piller. Johnson and Kim shot 64 at Nicklaus, and Piller had a 67 on the Stadium Course.

Rahm likened the Stadium to alma mater Arizona State’s Dye-designed Karsten course.

“Very, very similar type of golf,” Rahm said. “You need to hit it a lot more accurate off the tee because being in the fairway is a lot more important. With the small greens — and you have water in play — you need to be more precise. Clearly the hardest golf course.”

Landry had five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine. After winning his second Web.com Tour title last year, the 30-year-old former Arkansas player had two top-10 finishes in October and November at the start the PGA Tour season.

“We’re in a good spot right now,” Landry said. “I played two good rounds of golf, bogeyfree both times, and it’s just nice to be able to hit a lot of good quality shots and get rewarded when you’re making good putts.”

Rahm had four birdies and the two bogeys on his first six holes. He short-sided himself in the left bunker on the par-3 12th for his first bogey of the week and three-putted the par-4 14th — pulling a 3-footer and loudly asking “What?” — to drop another stroke.

“A couple of those bad swings cost me,” Rahm said.