Bryce Molder waited most of the day to play, but when it was over he still was ahead in the Dean & DeLuca Invitational.
Molder, who opened with a 6-under-par 67, was 3-under for the second round through 15 holes when play was halted by darkness and he held a one-shot lead over Webb Simpson at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the start of play was delayed for 5 1/2 hours because of rain.
“It was kind of tale of two nines, even though I didn’t finish the second nine,” said Molder, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the 2011 Frys.com Open. “The first nine was really clean, one or two opportunities and I kind of did everything I needed to get up-and-down, or I either knocked it really close or made a bunker shot. Everything was going right.
“The back nine was kind of the opposite of that, but that happens. You can’t play great golf for too long. But it was a good day.”
Molder, who played the front nine in 6-under 29 in round one, came back with a 30 in round two and held a three-stroke lead until chopping up the 12th hole on his way to a double bogey-6.
Simpson, who won the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, birdied two of the last three holes in a 67, and local favorite Jordan Spieth birdied four of five holes through No. 5 while finishing a 66 on the front nine and was two shots back in a tie for third with Patrick Reed, who was two-under for the round after eight holes.
“A fantastic nine that we played,” said Spieth, ranked second in the world. “One through five (holes), if you play them 1-under, you’re going to be up there with the leaders because the rest of the course you can kind of really get around and have some chances. Playing 4-under today was awesome.
“I feel very comfortable over the ball this week.”
Anirban Lahiri of India, who opened with a 65, was 1-under for the round after 12 holes and was three strokes back in a tie for fifth with Jason Dufner, who after a first-round 66 was 2-under through 10 holes of round two.
Tony Finau shot 67 and was another shot back in a tie for seventh with David Toms, Harris English, Ryan Palmer and Martin Pillar, who were still on the course.
