SAN ANTONIO -- Jimmy Walker opened a four-stroke lead over fellow Texan Jordan Spieth, shooting a 3-under 69 on Saturday in his hometown Texas Open.
Walker, who lives 35 minutes away from TPC San Antonio, is looking for his fifth title in two tour seasons. He had a 9-under 207 total after opening with rounds of 71 and 67.
"It's a tough golf course," said Walker, the winner of the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. "I thought coming into today that even par or maybe 1 under would be a good score. You definitely want to find a way to extend the lead, but you have to be smart about it."
Spieth shot a 71. The 21-year-old Dallas player, coming off a playoff victory two weeks ago at Innisbrook, had a double bogey, two bogeys and two birdies on the final six holes.
"I'm going to have to hit the ball better than I did today," Spieth said. "A couple of tough breaks on the back nine. All in all, I was playing a really solid round of golf, minus a couple of decisions and a couple of swings."
FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel birdied the final three holes for a 69 to get to 3 under.
Five players were seven back of Walker at 2 under. Zach Johnson birdied the last two holes for a 72, Chesson Hadley had a 71, tour rookie Scott Pinckney shot 69, 2011 champion Brendan Steele had a 72, and Jason Kokrak finished with a 71.
Phil Mickelson was even par after a 74. He had a near double-eagle on the 14th hole.
Tied making the turn, Walker broke away from Spieth with a two-shot swing on the par-5 14th and extended when Spieth hit his tee shot at the par-3 16th into more trouble well right of the grandstand.
Playing in the group ahead at No. 14, Spieth left a long bunker shot in the sand and failed to make a 13-footer once he got on the green. Walker planted a wedge shot a foot away from the cup and made birdie.
Spieth got a shot back with an 8-foot birdie putt at 15, then hit a tee shot on the 191-yard 16th that ended up about 40 yards right of the green. He took two chips and lipped out a 4-footer en route to a double bogey.
Mickelson had all sorts of short-game troubles while shooting a front-nine 40. He missed two shots from the fringe leading to a double bogey at No. 4, took four shots to find the hole and bogeying after driving into a greenside bunker at the short par-4 fifth, missed a 3-foot par putt at the seventh and missing a green in regulation while blasting from a greenside bunker at the par-5 eighth.
Champions Tour
SAUCIER, Miss. -- Kevin Sutherland birdied three of the final six holes for a 5-under 67 and the second-round lead in the Champions Tour's Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
Sutherland, the one-time PGA Tour winner who shot the first 59 in Champions Tour history last year in Endicott, New York, chipped in for birdie from behind the 12th green and birdied Nos. 15 and 16. He had a 9-under 135 total at Fallen Oak for a two-stroke lead over 2011 winner Tom Lehman.
Lehman had a bogey-free 66. He made a 50-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole.
Tom Pernice Jr. and David Frost were 6 under. Pernice had a 69, and Frost shot 70.
Scott Dunlap had a 65, the best round of the week, to join Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant, Olin Browne and Woody Austin at 5 under. Montgomerie and Durant shot 72 after sharing the first-round lead. Browne had a 68, and Austin shot 71.
Sports on 03/29/2015