Jordan Smith sits atop leaderboard at Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial

Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on May 29, 2026

Published in Golf

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FORT WORTH, Texas — After a six-way tie for the first-round lead in the Charles Schwab Challenge — between Lee Hodges, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Putnam, Tom Kim, J.J. Spaun and Matt McCarty at 6-under 64 — who sat atop the leaderboard following round 2 on Friday?

The second round looked like it would end with a five-way tie for first before Jordan Smith’s late surge put him solely in first place after he shot a 5-under 65 for the second straight day. Smith sits at 10-under for the tournament after two rounds.

“I’m obviously very, very happy. Going into the weekend in a good position,” Smith said. “The putter’s been hot the last two days, which is nice to see. Swing still hasn’t felt a hundred percent, but we’ve been hitting a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, which is key out here. So, yeah, just going to take the chances when we get them.”

Gerard was the only member from the six-way tie at the end of round 1 to stay within the top two. The other golfers tied for second are Michael Thorbjornsen, Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama, each at 9-under par, and 1 stroke back of Smith

Gerard talked about what he has to do to stay in contention after two strong opening rounds.

“I think just kind of sticking to the game plan. I feel like I know this golf course fairly well now. I feel comfortable with how the conditions are going to get, hopefully a little firmer. I like where I’m hitting the golf ball, and I like how I’m rolling it, just kind of keep doing what I’m doing and let it come to me and not try and force anything. And I’ll add ‘em up at the end after 36 more,” said Gerard.

Thorbjornsen, who is seeking his first PGA Tour win, talked about playing at the Colonial:

“We played it in college a couple times, loved it, played well here, thought it fit my game well. It’s all right in front of you.

“I’ve kind of been harping on this, that you need to hit good tee shots and good approach shots in order to have good looks. It’s not like you can get away with a stray drive and kind of hack something out toward the pin. But, yeah, I like this style of golf where kind of every shot needs to be good and you’re penalized whenever you hit a bad one.

“Obviously very excited. Whether I’m in contention or just scraping by to make a cut, it’s always nice to play the weekend. Obviously I’m here to try my best to win, but that can’t be the goal. You have to focus on just playing good golf and focusing on how your game can improve week in, week out, year after year, season after season.”

Smith, who is also looking for his first career PGA victory, hopes he can carry his momentum into the weekend and earn the coveted Scottish Royal Tartan Plaid jacket.

“It’s going to be a new experience for us out here leading for the first time. So, yeah, I’m excited. Just going to stick to what I’ve been doing the last two days. Yeah, just see what happens, not going to force anything,” said Smith. “Not going to rush anything, just going to see what happens and enjoy it.”