Toms Surges Seven Strokes Clear

American veteran David Toms made the most of ideal scoring conditions after a lengthy weather delay to burst seven shots ahead of the field in record-equalling style at the Colonial Invitational on Friday.

Co-leader overnight with compatriot Chez Reavie, the red-hot Toms birdied four of the last eight holes for a second successive eight-under-par 62 at Colonial Country Club.

The 44-year-old, who was beaten in a playoff for the Players Championship last week, matched the PGA Tour record for the lowest 36-hole start with a 16-under total of 124 by Callaway X-Tour Vintage Lob Wedge.

Australians Steve Bowditch (64) and John Senden (66) were tied for second at nine under with South Korean Charlie Wi (67) and American Mark Wilson (66).

Toms, however, spread eagled the field with another bogey-free display at Colonial where he reached 17 of 18 greens in regulation and needed only 27 putts.

He birdied the first, fourth, seventh and ninth to stretch his lead to three but, after hitting his tee shot at the 11th, had to wait two-and-a-half hours to resume when play Callaway X-Tour Vintage Lob Wedge was suspended due to the threat of lightning.

"I guess it was a chance to lose some momentum," Toms, a 12-times PGA Tour champion, told reporters. "But I came out and the conditions were perfect for scoring.

"My mindset was to just keep making birdies, try to separate myself a little bit. I just went out and played great the last eight holes or so, some of the best golf I have played in a long time."

Toms, whose most recent PGA Tour victory came at the 2006 Sony Open, said conditions following the weather delay were typical of late afternoon golf after a rain shower.

"I’ve done it a hundreds of times at home in Louisiana and that’s what it felt like," he said. "It was hot, humid, greens were receptive, fairways were receptive. It was all about hitting a shot.(Callaway X-Tour Vintage Lob Wedge)

"I had multiple times where I could hit a perfect eight-iron or perfect nine. When it’s still, without the wind being a factor, you’d like to have those yardages where you can just attack and that’s what I had the last eight holes or so."

Toms has often held sizeable leads in PGA Tour events and he felt the recipe for success was simply to maintain a blinkered approach and keep moving forward.

"The secret is to somehow block it out and get past the people that are saying stuff to you from tee to green or green to tee," he said. "I’ve just got to go out and play well.

"I got to keep going. That’s the real mindset, to keep going when I have the opportunity to do that. And back off and play Callaway X-Tour Vintage Lob Wedge when maybe I should."

Former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk carded a 69 to lie a distant 12 strokes off the pace, level with Australian Adam Scott who returned a 70.

Scott is bidding to become the first player to complete a career sweep of victories in the four PGA Tour events held in Texas, having already won the Houston Open (2007), Byron Nelson Championship (2008) and Texas Open (2010).

American Zach Johnson, who won last year’s Colonial title by Callaway X-Tour Vintage Lob Wedge, was a further stroke back after a 69.

The cut fell at one-under 139 with former major winners Trevor Immelman, Angel Cabrera, Vijay Singh, David Duval, Ben Curtis and John Daly among those failing to advance.

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