Jordan Spieth at Deutsche Bank Championship 2016: Friday Score and Reaction
Fresh off a respectable 10th-place finish at The Barclays last weekend, world No. 3 Jordan Spieth hit TPC Boston on Friday and impressed with a strong showing during the first round at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Massachusetts.
Spieth finished the day at three under par thanks to five birdies, and he's sitting pretty as Saturday's second round approaches.
Here's a look at Spieth's scorecard from Friday's opening round:
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| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Score | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Overall | E | -1 | -1 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Score | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Overall | -3 | -3 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 |
And here's an overview of the leaderboard, which featured James Hahn and Ryan Moore tied for first place at six under when Spieth walked off the course:
Spieth's front nine was positive, and it helped that he came out with a pin-seeking mentality. The 23-year-old birdied the par-five second hole to move to one under and followed that up with another birdie on No. 4 to quickly rise up the leaderboard.
Golf Channel provided an overview of the putt that propelled Spieth to two under:
A bogey on the par-four fifth hurt Spieth after his approach got trapped in the right greenside rough, but he rebounded on No. 9, where he followed up three consecutive pars with a birdie putt from roughly nine feet out.
Spieth kept the birdie train rolling on the next hole, where he smoked his approach shot to within nine yards of the pin before rolling in another impressive putt, as the PGA Tour documented:
That sort of elite ball-striking kept Spieth in good spirits after inconsistency marred the start of his season.
"My swing seems to be getting into a position that it was last year," Spieth said prior to Friday's round, according to the Boston Globe's Emily McCarthy. "It took three or four months where I kind of had a little play or rerouting in it that I’ve been trying to get rid of."
Spieth's climb up the leaderboard continued on the back nine, where he continued to enlist the help of pinpoint approaches to set up easy putts.
That formula produced another birdie on No. 12, but a bogey on No. 15 served as a minor hiccup on what can otherwise be classified as a positive back nine.
Based on the overall form Spieth flashed Friday, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him make a run at the Deutsche Bank title if he can continue to pepper putting surfaces with pristine iron shots.
And if Spieth continues to heat up as September progresses, a second straight FedEx Cup title could soon be in his sights.
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