SCOTTSDALE, Arizona. – The day after saying he needed to be patient with the results, Jordan Spieth hit a 10-under 61 on Saturday by a part of the leadership at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It then repeated itself.
“What I’m looking forward to is just staying the course, trusting it, ” said Spieth.” I have no expectations about tomorrow’s results. I really don’t want to. ”
No wins since the 2017 British Open, Spieth was tied with Xander Schauffele at 18 and 196.
“I built a little bit of freedom now seeing these results in the first few days here, and I feel really good about the path I’m taking,” said Spieth. And sometimes that is in question. For myself.”
The 27-year-old Texan is trying to regain the shape that led to 11 wins on the PGA Tour – three of them major – in his first five seasons on the tour.
“I felt like I was very, very patient and hit the ball well, ” said Spieth.” I just tried to hit the thick parts of the greens when I was out of position and try to attack when I could. “
He turned up the volume on the back nine in the almost empty TPC Scottsdale, attracting the biggest noise of the week from the limited crowd in par 3 16, when he curled up in a 36 feet for birdie and absolute lead.
Instead of the usual Saturday crowd that has exceeded 200,000 in recent years, attendance is limited to 5,000 a day – the maximum for a tourist event during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I told Michael (caddy Greller) that the only downside of the birdie putt at 16 is that it would undoubtedly have been the loudest roar I’ve ever had if it were last year,” said Spieth. ” But it was still high. “
He followed up with a 30-foot birdie on the 17th, after driving far left on the short par 4.
“Suddenly, today, when you kind of get in the middle of things and the crowd is eating and really wanting those putts with me, it actually kind of looked like nothing had happened,” said Spieth.
He hit four birdies in the front nine to share the lead, then had an unexpected birdie in the par 4 10th, when he entered 21 meters.
“I got some really good breaks,” said Spieth. “Every shot that ended up in the desert, I think I ended up playing those holes 2 or 3 below today. You can easily end up on a cactus with an unplayable one. ”
Spieth hit a 170-yard birdie foot on the par 4 11th, then narrowly missed the two back-nine par 5s. On the 13th, he failed to make a 5 1/2 foot eagle strike fall after a second shot of 208 desert yards. On the 15th, protected by the water, he left a 7-meter-long eagle stroke a few centimeters away.
A week after losing his cut at Torrey Pines on his first start since the Masters in November, he matched his best tour of 61 set in the third round of his 2015 John Deere Classic victory.
Fourth-placed Schauffele, coming out of a second tie at Torrey Pines in his hometown, hit a 65 to match Spieth in 18-under 196. Schauffele birdied four of the last holes, making a 7 foot in 17 to tie Spieth.
“I kind of held on and kind of capitalized on the holes I needed to make in the last nine,” said Schauffele.
Spieth and Schauffele were the last pairs in the final group in the last round of the British Open 2018 in Carnoustie. Schauffele hit a 74 to tie second behind Francesco Molinari, and Spieth had a 76 to tie ninth.
“Hopefully, we both play a little better,” said Spieth.
Scottie Scheffler and Kyoung-Hoon Lee hit 66 to reach 15 below.
Justin Thomas, third, and third in the last two years at the event, had a 64 to join Louis Oosthuizen (63) with 14 under. Thomas wasted five strokes on two holes on Thursday and Friday, making a triple bogey in 17 in the first round and opening the second with a double in 10.
Steve Stricker, the 53-year-old captain of the US Ryder Cup trying to become the oldest winner in the history of the PGA Tour, had a 69 to drop in a tie in seventh to 13th under with Brooks Koepka (66) and James Hahn (66) . Stricker started the day a stroke behind Schauffele after opening rounds of 65 and 66.
“Actually, I played from the tee to the green better than the first two days, I thought, ” said Stricker.” Get many quality bids right. I just didn’t do the shots I had been doing for the past few days. ”