Tony Finau matched his PGA Tour career-low with an eight-under-par 62 on Friday to take a four-shot lead at the weather-disrupted Houston Open.
Finau, who started the day in a three-way tie for the lead with Alex Noren and Aaron Wise, closed his round at Memorial Park with three straight birdies, posting 10 birdies overall on the way to a 13-under par 36-hole total of 127.
His nearest rival in the clubhouse when play was halted for the day was Patrick Rodgers, who carded a seven-under-par 63 for nine-under 131.
“It was really good,” Finau said of a round that featured a burst of four straight birdies from the seventh through the 10th.
He had closed the first round with a birdie run, and said he carried that momentum into the second round.
“I finished five-under on my last nine yesterday and I just rolled that momentum right into today,” he said. “I thought I made a huge putt for par on No 1 and then I was kind of off to the races.
“I almost made a hole-in-one on No 2 and just kind of cruising from there. It was a really nice round of golf.”
Tyson Alexander was in the clubhouse on eight under after a second-straight 66. Noren was eight under through 15 while Wise was six under through 12.
South Africa’s MJ Daffue is on one under through nine.
The round was to resume on Saturday, with the third round to begin Saturday morning with players going off split tees in a bid to get the event back on schedule.
Noren will have a 40-foot eagle putt when play resumes.
Finau and other early starters had relatively calm weather, and made the most of it on a course set up in expectation of inclement weather.
“They set the tee boxes up to where we had to take advantage. We got the better wave,” Finau said. “Thirty-six holes is a lot of golf left, and it’s trickier to score with a north wind. But I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Rodgers’ round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-five 3rd hole, where he landed his second shot within two feet.
The American, in search of a first PGA Tour title, was in the hunt at Bermuda two weeks ago, where he finished tied for third.
“It’s a fine line out here,” Rodgers said. “It takes a lot of patience. I can’t force a win out here on this tour and I can’t control the conditions and the breaks or what anyone else does.
“If I do a good job of focusing on what I can control and getting lost in my process of playing, I back myself every time.”
© Agence France-Presse
