Scott Dunlap fired a first-round 65 and a second-round 70 on Saturday to grab the lead at the Insperity Invitational in The Woodlands, Texas.
The field was forced to play 36 holes after Friday’s action was postponed due to rain accumulation at The Woodlands Country Club. Dunlap went 7 under through his first 18 holes before polishing off his day with a 2-under showing. He sits at 9-under 135, a stroke ahead of Joe Durant and Australian Stuart Appleby.
Dunlap didn’t card a bogey until his 33rd hole of the day — the par-5 sixth. He also had one at the par-4 ninth to close his second round.
Aside from the pair of bogeys, Dunlap turned in clean cards, racking up 11 birdies, seven of which came in the opening round.
Meanwhile, Durant fired dual 4-under 68s while Appleby followed up a 3-under 69 with a 5-under 67. Durant caught fire on the back nine in the second round, stringing together three consecutive birdies at Nos. 13-15.
“I played very solid,” Durant said. “I hadn’t been playing well the last month, but I’ve been working on a few things, and it is starting to come together. I hit the ball really nicely, missed a couple of short putts for the day which might be the difference, but all-in-all, very pleased with how I played.
“It is just a long day. You are battling all day and just got to keep going, keep trucking and just see what happens.”
Appleby was at his best at the beginning of the second round, birdieing the first three holes.
Fellow Australian Steven Alker (first-round 68, second-round 69) and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand (66, 71) are tied for fourth, two shots off the lead. Canada’s Mike Weir posted a 68 and a 70 in the first and second rounds, respectively, to take sole possession of sixth.
Northern Irishman Darren Clarke (69, 70), Dicky Pride (69, 70) and Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik (71, 68) are T7 ahead of a six-way tie for 10th. All three golfers are 5 under.
–Field Level Media
