Beau Hossler was steady while better-known players faltered down the stretch on Friday at the Houston Open, leaving him with a one-shot lead heading into the weekend.
The 23-year-old Hossler shot a four-under 68 for a two-day total of 11-under 133, good enough for the second 36-hole lead of his rookie season. He shared the lead with Dustin Johnson at the halfway mark at Pebble Beach before falling out of contention.
Hossler opened with a bogey but didn’t drop another shot for the rest of the day, finishing with a wedge from 114 yards to inside three feet to save par on the tough par-four 18th. He said patience will be key as he seeks his first PGA Tour victory.
‘The reality is I’m 11 under par. More than likely 18 under is going to win the tournament unless the conditions are tough, so there’s a long way to go,’ Hossler said. ‘It’s not like I can go shoot even par and win the tournament. But I’m looking forward to the challenge of the weekend.’
Rickie Fowler was tied with Hossler before he hooked his drive into the water on the 18th, leading to a bogey. He shot 68 to join Sam Ryder, Abraham Ancer and Nicholas Lindheim at 10 under.
Jordan Spieth’s putter heated up before his momentum stalled with a missed three-footer on the 16th hole. He shot 67 and was two shots back as he seeks his first win of the season, on the eve of the Masters. Spieth lost in a playoff in Houston in 2015 and went on to win the first of his three major titles the following week at Augusta National.
‘From where I was three days ago, my goal [is] accomplished for the week already,’ Spieth said.
‘So at this point, anything else is icing on the cake. It was a round that could have been really special. But I don’t have to [shoot] eight or nine under. I feel like my game’s in form, and that’s really cool. I’m having a lot of fun out there.’
Twenty-two players were within three shots of the lead. Paul Dunne of Ireland, who finished his first-round 64 on Friday morning, was nine under after a 71. Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar were among the dozen players at eight under.
For Hossler, the Houston Open will be a tune-up for the Augusta National only if he claims the $1.26-million winner’s cheque on Sunday. Before the tournament, he had little reason to think that would be possible. He’d broken par just once in his previous 10 competitive rounds before Thursday, and his practice sessions weren’t pretty.
‘I actually told my caddie on the range yesterday [when I was] hitting the ball all over the place and not making solid contact, I was like, it’s funny,’ Hossler said. ‘I’ve played some really good golf like this.’
Credit: PGA TOUR
