Guns loaded for a spectacular weekend at Colonial; Harold Varner III in the lead

Harold Varner III kept a steady hand to retain a one-stroke advantage at the halfway stage of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Rory McIlroy surged into contention on a 63

529
Harold Varner III - Getty Images - PGA TOUR

13 June 2020: The Charles Schwab Challenge reached a promising weekend with the leaderboard filled to the brim with seasoned contenders. Rory McIlroy bounced up 35 spots with a spectacular 63 in the second round. At 9-under through 36 holes, he is just two behind Harold Varner III, who shot 66. Jordan Spieth played some solid golf as he stayed neck and neck with Bryson DeChambeau, both men scoring 65 again. Spieth hasn’t won in three years, but the three-month rest for Coronavirus seems to have done him a world of good.

Collin Morikawa (67) and Xander Schauffele (66) stayed in touch with the leaders as they moved to 9-under alongside McIlroy. Gary Woodland (67), overnight leader Justin Rose (69), Branden Grace (66) and Justin Thomas (68) rounded off a thickly loaded top ten, going into the weekend at 8-under 136.

Varner III recovered from a triple on the tenth hole, his first of the day, with a rousing finish to remain in the lead. He made five birdies in the last six holes. Varner drove into a bridge on the par-4 tenth hole, before navigating through a bunker and the rough to begin the day with a triple bogey. But he recovered brilliantly from there before finishing with a prolific flourish to retain his grip on the lead.

“I wish there was some fans tomorrow. I like that a lot,” Varner said. “I mean, when it comes to being around the guys, it’s very normal. But when it comes to fans and spectators, it’s not normal at all.”

Rory McIlroy - PGA TOUR - Getty Images
Rory McIlroy – PGA TOUR – Getty Images

An eagle and seven birdies fueled McIlroy back into contention, as he found his rhythm after a grind on Thursday. The Northern Irishman swung up the order with a memorable 63, in his debut at the Colonial.

“I think even yesterday, once we sort of got into the flow of the round, things started to become more normal,” Rory McIlroy said. “When that first birdie putt went in, and I didn’t get a clap, I was sort of, like, my hand was trying to go up to wave to someone in the gallery, but there’s obviously no one there. But once you get into it, it’s the same. We’re trying to go out there and play the best golf we can.”

Justin Rose looked set to tighten his grip over the lead with a couple of birdies to start his day. But he fell into trouble on the third where he conceded a bogey. In the end he settled for a 69 to reach the weekend at 8-under.

Spieth hasn’t won since that memorable victory at Royal Birkdale for the Open Championship. Over the past two days, the American has shown that he may have finally rediscovered his best golf. Despite a double-bogey at the third and bogey at the next hole, Spieth played some impeccable golf through the day for his 65.

“I felt like I gave myself some grace to say, `Look, I haven’t really been practicing a ton of those kind of short-range putts,”‘ said Spieth. “Those are the ones where you just have a ton of them when you’re playing in competition, but you’re picking them up a lot of times when you’re playing regular rounds of golf at home.”