Kevin Na posted a 4-under-par 66 to take a two-stroke lead over Ian Poulter of England midway through the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Na, who is from Diamond Bar, had a three-shot lead until hitting his drive into an unplayable lie on the 18th hole and taking a penalty drop, leading to his only bogey in the first 36 holes. He was tied for the first-round lead at 64.
After a 22-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole, Na did a dance on the green, and then he holed his third shot from 30 feet for another birdie on the next hole.
“From there (on the 18th hole), I could have made anything,” said Na, who is trying to add to his only PGA Tour victory in the 2011 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. “I could have hit it left into the hazard or right into the bleachers. I had a good number and trusted it, and could have made par, by I was happy to get away with a bogey.
“My ball-striking has been excellent the last two years. I’ve been working on a lot of stuff with my coach, Don Brown, and I think it’s shown. … That was a big bird dance. To call it a chicken dance is a little weak.”
Poulter followed an opening 65 with a 67, but he also made a bogey on his last hole–No. 9–when he hit his approach shot into a greenside bunker and couldn’t get up-and-down.
Boo Weekley, who had a share of the first-round lead, bounced back from bogeys on four of the first five holes to salvage a 69 with three late birdies and was three shots back in solo third, while Brian Harman shot 66 and was another stroke back in a tie for fourth with George McNeill, who had a 69.
Masters champion Jordan Spieth, who also was tied for the lead after one round, struggled to a 73 and was seven shots behind in a tie for 15th, while defending champion Adam Scott bounced back from an opening 72 with a 66 and was another stroke back in a tie for 25th.
