SAN ANTONIO — First-round leader Si Woo Kim used a late-round hole-in-one Friday to build a four-shot lead at the halfway point of the Valero Texas Open.
Kim, the 2017 Players Championship winner, led by one heading into the second round before shooting a 6-under 66.
Kim aced TPC San Antonio’s 16th hole and is 12 under through 36 holes at the PGA Tour’s last stop before the Masters. He leads six players at 8 under, including Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. Fowler led on the back nine until consecutive bogeys late in the round.
Joining Fowler and Spieth — both shot 68 — are Harold Varner (66), Adam Schenk (66), Kyoung-Hoon Lee (67) and Monday-qualifier Corey Connors (67).
Kim’s ace at the 167-yard 16th bounced up toward the flagstick, landed next to the lip of the cup and dropped in. He’s gone 26 holes without a bogey and has nine birdies along with the ace.
Byeong Hun An (68), Matt Jones (68), Rory Sabbatini (68), Scott Stallings (69), Brian Stuard (70), Josh Teater (68) and Jim Knous (67) are 7 under.
Graeme McDowell, who won for the first time since 2015 last week at the PGA Tour’s event in the Dominican Republic, has shot consecutive 69s and is joined at 6 under by Scott Brown, Hank Lebioda, Ryan Moore and Jhonattan Vegas. Brown had a 67, Lebioda and Moore 70s and Vegas a 71.
Fowler, who drove the green at the 327-yard fifth hole and eagled, held a lead early on the back nine. After the eagle, he made birdie putts of 43 feet, 10 feet and 25 feet.
But he three-putted from 23 feet at the 15th and barely got out of a greenside bunker on the 16th, leaving a chip and putt for another bogey. He got a stroke back with a birdie at the 17th, but his attempt to reach the par-5 18th in two landed him in a stream in front of the green. He chipped up and finished with a par.
Spieth had no late-round hiccups. Instead, he holed out from 113 yards for an eagle on his 17th hole. Earlier in the day, he chipped in from off his second green.
Kim surged to a two-shot lead when he chipped to a foot away on the par-5 14th hole and tapped in for birdie. He got up-and-down from a bunker at the 15th, putting from almost 10 feet to save par. He wouldn’t need the putter on the 16th.