05/28/26 11:31:00
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05/28 23:26 CDT Alex Smalley back in position to win at Colonial after
runner-up finish at PGA
Alex Smalley back in position to win at Colonial after runner-up finish at PGA
By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) --- Alex Smalley was right back in a position to win at
the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial two weeks after the third-round leader
at the PGA Championship settled for second place.
Smalley, still seeking his first PGA Tour victory, had one of a bevy of
bogey-free 5-under 65s on Thursday and was one of 12 players a shot behind six
first-round leaders.
Lee Hodges, among those who had to sit through a two-hour weather delay during
his round, finished with a bogey at the par-4 ninth. He was at 64 along with
reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Putnam, Tom Kim and
Matt McCarty, who birdied No. 9 two groups ahead of Hodges.
It's the second-most leaders after 18 holes at Colonial behind the eight atop
the leaderboard in 2022.
Keegan Bradley, Brian Harman, Jordan Smith, Ricky Castillo and Luke Clanton
matched Smalley with five birdies and no bogeys. The other six players at 5
under included 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and eight-time tour winner
Billy Horschel.
There were another 13 players at 4 under, putting 31 players within two shots
of the lead at Hogan's Alley. Defending champion Ben Griffin, whose won three
times last year, was 2 under.
"It's one of my favorite courses we play all year because I don't think there's
any one person that it caters to," Hodges said. "You don't have to bomb it.
You've got to have your whole game here. I think it's a great test of golf."
Smalley finished three shots behind Aaron Rai at the PGA, tied with Jon Rahm
after leading by two through 54 holes. The Duke alum spent the next few days
focused more on travel plans for the U.S. Open and British Open than his return
to Texas.
Smalley found that his Lone Star State vibe is still a good one. He is on a
six-tournament run of finishing 21st or better. The first two were in Houston
and San Antonio, followed by a tie for second in the team event in New Orleans.
The PGA finish matched that career best, and Smalley finally picked up a golf
club again last Thursday, then picked up where he left off at Colonial. Four of
his five birdie putts were inside 5 feet, including a 134-yard approach to
inside a foot at the par-4 15th.
Colonial is tough when it's dry and windy, but it's neither right now in North
Texas. Plenty of recent rain has been accompanied by calm winds.
"We would throw grass up and it was kind of coming right back down to our
feet," Smalley said. "So definitely more of the scorable conditions I've seen
around here, but still not an easy golf course. To have no bogeys on the
scorecard anywhere is nice, especially here."
Kim, a South Korea native who lives in Dallas, is the closest thing to a
hometown favorite with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth skipping
Colonial for the first time since the Dallas residents became household names.
Both cited busy schedules.
Kim twice had the lead by himself at 7 under, but bogeyed the par-4 fifth and
followed a birdie at the sixth hole with another bogey at No. 7, his 16th.
Hodges went in front with five birdies in a six-hole stretch to start his back
nine, but he had to punch out of the rough at No. 9 and ended up missing a long
par putt.
Gerard made all 17 of his putts inside 15 feet, finishing with eight birdies
and two bogeys. Putnam's bogey-free round included four birdies over his final
eight holes, which were on the front nine.
"It was nice to get a couple putts to go in," said Gerard, whose only tour
victory came at last year's Barracuda Championship, seven years after Putnam's
only tour win at the same event. "I know the stats are probably going to lean
more putting, but I've been hitting my driver really well."
Harman, the 2023 British Open champion playing Colonial for the 13th
consecutive year and 14th time in 15 years, ran off third birdies over four
holes early and had two more on the first three holes of his back nine.
"I love playing golf in Texas, man," said Harman, who has two top 10s at
Colonial. "I love this weather. I like it hot. I like the course a lot. It's
holding up pretty good for itself. The greens are soft and the scores are
still, there's nothing crazy out there."
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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