FORT WORTH — J.J. Spaun shot a 2-under 68 in the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, leaving him two shots off the lead after 36 holes. He stands at 8 under par, trailing leader Jordan Smith by two strokes and one shot behind Hideki Matsuyama and three other players tied for second.

Spaun opened his second round with four birdies on the front nine but recorded bogeys on the seventh and eighth holes. He was bogey-free until those holes and made a 15-foot par putt on the 17th to maintain his position near the top of the leaderboard.

Spaun, who won the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio last month, entered the week as the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 9 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He had previously missed the cut in six of his first 13 events this season, including the Masters—where he shot 74-75—and the PGA Championship, where he carded rounds of 70-76 while playing his third consecutive week.

Seeking improved performance on the greens, Spaun recently changed putters. "I was losing confidence on the greens and found myself resenting my putter at times when I’m out on the course," Spaun said. After back-to-back rounds in the 60s at Colonial, including an opening 64 that left him tied for the first-round lead among six players, he expressed satisfaction with the switch. "It’s nice to see that the putter switch was a good change," he said.

Spaun credited consistent ball-striking for his strong position heading into the weekend. "My ball striking’s been pretty solid. The weeks that I putt just slightly better than average, I contend," he said. He also noted a slow-play warning early in his second round briefly disrupted his rhythm. "It caused me to lose focus and rush my play," he said.

After skipping last week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson, Spaun plans to play the Memorial Tournament next week, skip the Canadian Open, and then head to Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open. "It will be nice to have a week off and then get to Shinnecock and kind of feel fresh, but not like I’ve taken too much time off," he said. Temperatures in Fort Worth reached the mid-90s with a heat index near 100, though no rain is expected through the weekend.