Riley atop Charles Schwab Problem; Scheffler tied for fifteenth

FORT WORTH, Texas — Davis Riley needed to wait out a 70-minute climate delay earlier than his final shot within the second spherical at Colonial.

Riley made a 3-foot par putt proper after play resumed Friday to wrap up a bogey-free 6-under 64 and get to 10 beneath on the Charles Schwab Problem. He was two strokes forward of Hayden Buckley and Pierceson Coody after they each shot 65s.

“I used to be ravenous, so I acquired some meals, which was good. Fortunately, it was a 3-footer straight up the hill. So wasn’t an excessive amount of to emphasize about,” Riley stated. “I knocked in about 5 3-footers earlier than strolling over there to cap off the spherical. Yeah, hit it middle minimize and made it.”

After a chip to three toes on the 408-yard ninth gap, Riley needed to mark his ball and retreat to the close by clubhouse when the horns went off due to storm cells with lightning that had been within the surrounding areas. There have been just some transient gentle raindrops through the delay, and after play resumed.

Buckley was on the inexperienced at No. 6, his fifteenth gap, when the climate delay started. He resumed play with a 6-foot birdie after which parred out to complete a spherical of 65 on the Colonial course that has been totally restored since final yr’s occasion.

Coody was in one of many last teams to complete after the delay. He birdied the final three holes, making a 30-footer on the par-3 sixteenth earlier than strategy pictures inside 3 1/2 toes at Nos. 17 and 18. Coody had an fairly an up-and-down entrance 9, with an early at No. 2 earlier than three bogeys and two birdies.

Sungjae Im (64) and Keegan Bradley (66) , who performed morning rounds, had been tied for fourth at 6 beneath with Sepp Straka (66).

Scottie Scheffler had 4 consecutive birdies halfway by his spherical of 65 earlier Friday, a day after the world’s top-ranked participant failed to interrupt par in a gap spherical for the primary time this season. At 3 beneath, he was tied for fifteenth and a stroke higher than Jordan Spieth, one other native favourite.

Scheffler’s first birdie Friday was a 15-foot putt on the par-3 thirteenth gap, his fourth of the day after beginning on the again facet. That was the place he had his first triple bogey of the yr after a tee shot into the pond fronting that raised inexperienced within the opening spherical.

After driving into the green bunker on the 449-yard third gap, Scheffler hit from there to about 3 toes for his fourth consecutive birdie — not one of the others had been greater than 8 toes. That was his final birdie of the day.

Scheffler did not communicate to reporters at Colonial, per week after his arrest within the morning darkness earlier than his second spherical of the PGA Championship, when police had been investigating a pedestrian fatality and arrested — and briefly jailed — Scheffler for not following visitors instructions. He was launched and made it again to Valhalla for the second spherical.

On Thursday, earlier than Scheffler started his first spherical at Colonial, police in Louisville, Kentucky, launched what video that they had of his arrest the earlier week. He’s scheduled to return to Louisville on June 3 to be arraigned on 4 fees, together with second-degree felony assault of a police officer.

Spieth, the 2016 Colonial champion and a runner-up 3 times there, had a second-round 67. He began Friday with a 24-foot putt on the 403-yard tenth gap, the primary of 5 birdies in his first six holes. He did not have any extra birdies, however had two bogeys when ending on the entrance facet.

The 27-year-old Riley’s solely PGA Tour win was on the Zurich Basic crew occasion with Nick Hardy final yr in in New Orleans. Hardy was in his threesome Friday, and made a 14-foot par after the delay to complete a spherical of 70, holding him at 2 over for the week to simply make the minimize.

“Actually, once I was on the inexperienced … I used to be extra excited to observe Nick’s putt, and pulling for him,” Riley stated. “It is all the time good to play with an excellent buddy, and made for a snug first two days.”

As a PGA Tour rookie two years in the past, Riley was in competition on the ultimate day at Colonial earlier than ending tied for fourth. Sam Burns had a seven-stroke comeback earlier than successful that yr in a playoff towards Scheffler, one among his greatest associates.

Defending champion Emiliano Grillo additionally was simply on the minimize line at 2-over 142. He adopted a gap 74 with a 68.