2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational: Round 1

2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational

Jordan Spieth Shares First-Round Lead in Rain-Delayed Colonial


The Jordan Spieth love-fest, scheduled to last throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth stops on this year’s PGA Tour, got off to a belated, but roaring, start Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.


Fans endured a three-hour weather delay before welcoming the Masters champion to Colonial’s first tee, where the 21-year-old Dallas resident tipped his cap to legions of vocal supporters near the course’s famed Wall of Champions. Alumni from his high school, Dallas Jesuit, even serenaded him with the school’s “great sensational yell” as he walked down the first fairway.


It made for a memorable moment for Spieth, who went on to add several more in his first PGA Tour appearance in Texas since winning the Masters. By the time Spieth unleashed his signature shot of Thursday’s round, a 19-foot birdie putt from the back right fringe at No. 18, he had climbed into a four-way tie for the lead on a cool, damp day at Colonial.


Spieth joined Ryo Ishikawa, a fellow afternoon starter, and two players with morning tee times, Kevin Na and 2013 Colonial champ Boo Weekley, at the top of the leader board with rounds of 6-under-par 64. Spieth got there with a bogey-free effort that included six birdie putts ranging between 9 and 25 feet.


“This is nice. I played a solid round,” Spieth said. “When I missed the green, I made solid par putts. When you see the ball go in, the hole looks a little bigger.”