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WEDDINGTON Lee Janzen hasn’t had the best month on the PGA Web.com Tour, missing the cut in his past three tournaments.
That won’t be a concern for the two-time U.S. Open champion this weekend, as Janzen made a longer-than-normal day at The Club at Longview on Friday pay off to contend for the lead at the Chiquita Classic.
After finishing up his darkness-suspended first round in the morning at 6-under 66, Janzen followed with an equally strong 5-under 67 just after lunchtime for a two-day total of 11-under 133.
That puts Janzen in a tie for third, two strokes behind Russell Henley of Macon, Ga., and Holly Springs’ Brad Fritsch, who share the overall tournament lead at 13-under 131.
“I just really want to get into trying to play one shot at a time,” said Janzen, who had six birdies and a bogey Friday to tie with defending champion Russell Knox of Scotland (7-under 65).
Henley was among five players sharing the clubhouse lead at 66 at the end of Thursday’s suspended round. Three more players – Janzen among them – joined the leaders after completing their rounds Friday morning, tying a Web.com Tour record.
But Henley quickly moved up the leader board during the afternoon session, overcoming a bogey on No. 11 with eight birdies to take the overall lead.
Fritsch posted a tournament-best 8-under 64 Friday, making seven birdies and an eagle 3 on the par 5 No. 17 - his third of the tournament – to offset a bogey on No. 15.
Charlotte’s Jason Kokrak, who was in the lead group after the first round, fell to fifth at 10-under 134 after shooting a 4-under 68 on Friday.
Janzen – who has eight career PGA Tour victories, including U.S. Open titles in 1993 and 1998 – has split time this season between the PGA and Web.com tours, with varying degrees of success.
He tied for second in the Web.com Tour event in Athens, Ga., in May, and tied for eighth in the PGA tournament in Silvis, Ill., in mid-July.
However, he has missed the cut in six of the past nine tournaments he’s played, including the last three Web.com Tour events leading into this weekend’s Chiquita Classic.
“The last three weeks were extremely frustrating,” Janzen said.
