Fowler at one point led Kim on nine-under for the tournament but back-to-back bogeys at the 15th and 16th were costly. The 2018 Masters runner-up had been rolling along with four birdies and an eagle at the par four fifth hole against one bogey before the let down. The eagle came after Fowler's drive had carried 328 yards to within four feet of the hole. He collected a fifth birdie at the 17th to ease his displeasure.
"I'm happy with it," Fowler said of the round. "Hit some good shots out there, made a few putts. Yeah, 15, 16, kind of a little unforced errors." The wind was a factor in both bogeys, he said.
Former Masters champion Spieth, along with Fowler among only a handful of big names using the Texas Open to tune up for Augusta next week, also had an eagle. His came at the par-five eighth, his 17th hole of the day. After two bogeys sandwiching a birdie in his first three holes, the Texan rebounded for four more birdies and the eagle to go with another bogey. "I had more control with my long clubs today," Spieth said. "Still didn't hit many fairways, but it felt better, if that makes sense.
"So normally the better results come from the club starting to feel more in control. So I'll just do a little bit of light work this afternoon and go into the weekend with a chance to win." (Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina, editing by Nick Mulvenney)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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