Fort Worth Invitational 2018: Justin Rose Holds Lead Entering Round 3

Justin Rose used a six-under 64 to take the lead at the 2018 Fort Worth Invitational into the weekend as the tournament reached the midway point at the Colonial Golf Course in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Some of the biggest names in golf, like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, may not be participating in the event, but there were still stars to keep an eye on. Rose and Jordan Spieth are among the golfers in the field.

Here's a look at how things stand in Texas after two rounds.

2018 Fort Worth Invitational—Round 2

1. Justin Rose 64 (-10)

2. Emiliano Grillo 67 (-9)

T3. Satoshi Kodaira 67 (-7)

T3. Brooks Koepka 63 (-7)

5. Tyrone van Aswegen 67 (-6)

T6. Tom Hoge 66 (-5)

T6. Alex Cejka 69 (-5)

T6. Kevin Na 73 (-5)

T6. Ben Crane 69 (-5)

T6. Beau Hossler 71 (-5)

T6. Benjamin Silverman 69 (-5)

T6. Harris English 67 (-5)

T6. Kevin Tway 69 (-5)

T6. Bryson DeChambeau 67 (-5)

*Full leaderboard can be viewed on the PGA Tour's official website.

Recap

Through the first two rounds, the tournament is still up for grabs—but Rose has put himself in solid positioning as the weekend arrives.

Na (three-over 73 on Friday) dropped off the pace after a strong opening round, and Rose was there to take advantage. After posting a 66 on Thursday, the 37-year-old hit a groove on Friday:

That's a total of seven birdies, including three in a row on the back nine. Just like that, he went from a four-under for the tournament to 10-under and the lead.

Rose credited a pep talk with his caddy after the first four holes that helped him settle in.

"He said, 'Hey mate, just stay patient.' From there, I got into a nice rhythm," Rose said, PGATour.com's Sean Martin. "My first 15 holes today were about as good as I've played in a long time."

PGA Tour Communications noted that it was the golfer's best round to date in 2018.

As good as Rose was Friday, nobody had a better day than Koepka. The 28-year-old American put himself in contention by shooting a seven-under 63 in Round 2. 

While notching eight birdies overall, he went through an incredible stretch where he recorded seven birdies in 11 holes:

As Martin noted, it's the second 63 in three rounds for Koepka, dating back to The Players Championship.

That hot streak helped him surge up the leaderboard. After shooting an even 70 on Thursday, he now finds himself at seven under for the tournament and in a tie for third place.

Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler put together a few highlights:

Fowler started the day with birdies on his first two holes, but he would not get another one until hole No. 16. He did, however, record a couple of bogeys during that drought. He sits tied for 15th place at four under, six strokes back of the lead.

Spieth had an up-and-down day, never fully being able to find a rhythm. He was, however, at least able to improve upon the 69 he shot in the opening round with a two-under on Friday:

Spieth finished the round with five birdies and three bogeys for a one-under. He sits seven strokes back of the lead in a tie for 23rd place.

The tournament continues Saturday, as the action is set to heat up over the final two rounds.