Na closes with ‘good bogey’ to lead wet Colonial

FORT WORTH — Kevin Na had gone 26 holes without a bogey at Colonial before his last tee shot Friday was swept away by flowing water after going into a rain-swollen drainage culvert.

Not even that could dampen Na’s second round that gave him the lead halfway through the soggy tournament.

Na took the penalty drop near the 17th fairway and hit a blind approach shot over bleachers to the back side of the 18th green. His two-putt from 20 feet wrapped up a 4-under 66. “A good bogey,” Na said. At 10-under 130, Na was two strokes ahead of Ian Poulter (67) and three up on 2013 Colonial winner Boo Weekley (69).

Na, 31, also made some long birdie putts. His 30-footer off the fringe at No. 14 came right after rolling in a 22-footer at the 13th, where he broke into a dance for the rowdy fans surrounding the par 3 situated on the edge of Hogan’s Alley.

“I want to call it the Big Bird dance. … It just came out. I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Na said. “You know, the crowd has been very supportive. I felt like I was from Texas.”

Masters champion Jordan Spieth, a real Texan, was alone in the lead without a bogey before losing four strokes in a two-hole span.

Spieth finished with a 73, nine strokes worse than his opening-round 64 that had him in a four-way tie on top. He dropped seven strokes back at 3 under, in a crowded tie for 15th place.

“I had a goal in mind, and it was a higher score than [Thursday] given the conditions,” said Spieth, the 21-yearold from Dallas who is playing consecutive weeks at home in North Texas.

There were periods of steady rain for the morning groups, but no delays. That was after Thursday’s first round started three hours late following more than an inch of rain that fell overnight.

With more inclement weather expected today, including the possibility of severe storms in the afternoon, players in the third round will be grouped in threesomes instead of the normal twosomes and go off Nos. 1 and 10.

The lead group of Na, Poulter and Weekley are scheduled to tee off around 9 a.m. today, more than 3 ½ hours earlier than usual for the leaders’ group at Colonial.

Heavy rain also is in the forecast Sunday.

Poulter, playing his first Colonial since 2010, had bogeys on his first and last holes Friday. His only bogey Thursday came on his last hole, costing him a share of the first-round lead.

A half-inch adjustment in his putting grip has paid off at Colonial, with only 25 putts in each of the first two rounds.

When going through boxes of pictures to find some to put on the wall in a new guest house he is building, Poulter came across one when he noticed the forefinger of his left hand was in a different spot. He first adjusted during the pro-am round Wednesday.

Bryce Molder (Conway) fired a 2-under 68 despite bogeying the final two holes and sits at even par for the tournament. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot an even-par 70 to make the cut on the number at 1 over.

Ken Duke rallied to birdie the 16th and 17th holes but made bogey on the 18th and missed the cut by a stroke at 2 over.