PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) – Jordan Spieth felt as though he could finally breathe easy.
Needing a good round to make the cut at the Valspar Championship, he followed a bogey on the opening hole – the easiest at Innisbrook – with five birdies, three of them from just off the green and the last one a chip-in from 35 feet away on the 15th.
“This was grinding today,” Spieth said on the 18th tee, a smile indicating that he enjoyed it. “I’ve got some good stuff coming on the weekend.”
That was the key word for Spieth – weekend.
Steve Stricker shot a 66 and Will MacKenzie had a 67 to share the lead at 5-under 137, and it doesn’t feel like much of a margin at all. Nine players were within two shots of them, and eight shots separated first from worst going into the weekend.
