Round 4: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FORT WORTH, Texas — Bo Van Pelt called it a "wild back nine." Certainly it was an effective one, as he made a rapid climb up the leaderboard at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with his fast finish.

Van Pelt produced an eagle and four birdies in his final nine holes, and had he not bogeyed the 12th, he would have shot 29, just one off the back-nine course record.

Van Pelt

As it turned out, his 30 — and his overall 5-under 65 on Sunday — left Van Pelt in a pretty good mood. It also left him inside the top five on the leaderboard.

"I feel like I’ve let a few rounds slip away this year," he said. "So to finish like that is nice."

Van Pelt got his back nine started when he holed out for eagle at the par-4 10th from 141 yards. He hit a hybrid off the tee and had a good lie after landing in the first cut.

"It was the perfect distance for a pitching wedge," Van Pelt said of his second shot, "but you never know exactly how it’ll come out. But it landed on the front of the green and rolled in like a putt.

"Obviously I wasn’t planning on making it, but I knew I had hit a good shot. It was a great way to start the back nine."

Making his eighth start at Colonial, Van Pelt has three top-10 finishes and two others inside the top 20. He was born in Indiana but went to college at Oklahoma State and now lives in Tulsa, just a few hours’ drive from Fort Worth. That allows friends and family to come see him play.

"We have a lot of Fort Worth connections," Van Pelt said. "We love this town."

And he loves Colonial.

"It’s one of my favorites," he said. "It’s one I look forward to every year."