Spaun shoots 65, leads by 3 in Vegas

J.J. Spaun carded a 6-under-par 65 in breezy conditions to take a three-stroke lead over Kelly Kraft when the second round was suspended in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.

Spaun, from Los Angeles and San Diego State, carded four birdies on the back nine after starting at No. 10, then added three more on the front side, sinking a five-foot putt on the ninth hole.

“I just tried to stay patient,” said Spaun, who has never won on the PGA Tour but has one victory on the Web.com Tour and another on the PGA Tour Canada. “I got good numbers and trusted them, and stuck to my game plan. I was just seeing the shots and executing them. I just tried to keep it simple.

“This is a course where I really feel comfortable, even when the wind is kicking up like this. Some holes you can attack and on others you have to be more cautious. … I have a year of experience and it’s time to take my game to the next level. It’s time to step up and make a name for myself.”

Spaun, who opened with a 66, has a 36-hole total of 11-under 131.

Kraft, who made a hole in one with a 6-iron from 174 yards on the sixth hole, opened with a 67 and was 4-under for the second round and 8-under for the tournament when darkness came, while Robert Garrigus had eight birdies in a 65 and was three shots back in third.

Aaron Baddeley of Australia posted a bogey-free 66 and is another stroke back in a tie for fourth with Patton Kizzire, who also had a 66, while first-round leader Whee Kim of South Korea shot 72 and was another stroke down in a tie for sixth with Stephan Jaeger of Germany, who finished at 68, including a 30-foot eagle putt at No. 16.

Patrick Cantlay of Los Alamitos and UCLA carded a 71 and is seven shots down in a tie for eighth with Kevin Chappell of Fresno and UCLA, who had a 71, Tony Finau, who finished at 69, Taylor Gooch, who came in at 67, and Kevin Tway, who was 1-under for the day and 4-under for the tournament when halted by darkness after 16 holes.

Defending champion Rod Pampling of Australia is tied for 66th after a 73.

For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html.

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