Waste Management Phoenix Open 2017: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights
The top of the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open leaderboard is a crowded affair, with
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An is slowly making his way up the PGA Tour ranks. The 25-year-old Korean has climbed to 47th in the world rankings but hasn't finished higher than 39th in three previous PGA tournaments this season.
The course at TPC Scottsdale is so far agreeing with An, who has fired back-to-back rounds of 66. His only blip on the radar Friday was a bogey on No. 7. His putter served as his saving grace, as he gained 2.83 shots with it, per PGATour.com.
Moving into the weekend, when the pressure intensifies, the PGA Tour Media noted on Twitter one reason to think An won't be overwhelmed by this stage:
Steele shows no signs of slowing down after a strong January in which he had two top-10 finishes before stumbling to 20th at the Farmers Insurance Open last week. He didn't really catch fire on Friday until late in the round with three birdies on the last four holes to tie for the lead.
PGA Tour Media noted Steele's greatest asset through two rounds has been his ability to get on the green quickly:
Moving down the leaderboard, Jonas Blixt turned in the round of the day with a 64 that left him four shots off the pace heading in to the weekend.
Not surprisingly, Blixt was pleased with his performance on Friday, per PGA Tour insider Dick Kearns:
This is a drastic change of pace for Blixt, who has struggled to find his groove this season. The Sweden native missed the cut at his first three tournaments this season, dating back to November, and had a lackluster 72 to start the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
One player who looked like he might contend with Blixt for the low score of the day at one point was Jordan Spieth. The former world No. 1 had a run with four birdies over six holes on the front nine and had six total over his first 13 holes.
This shot on the 11th hole made it seem like Friday was going to be Spieth's day, via PGA Tour:
Spieth's good vibes fell apart over the last five holes, though he was really only undone on No. 14 with his first bogey of the round and went into the clubhouse with a double bogey on No. 18. He finished with a solid 68 overall, but it could've been a lot better for him.
This is Spieth's first tournament in three weeks, and he's coming off a third-place finish at the Sony Open, so he's certainly capable of turning it on at a moment's notice.
Spieth is keeping good company, as he's tied for 28th with Phil Mickelson. Lefty also had a rough end to the day with consecutive bogeys on his last two holes, clouding an otherwise solid performance that included five birdies.
If nothing else, Mickelson always manages to keep things interesting, via PGA Tour:
The climb up the leaderboard is a steep one for Spieth and Mickelson, though their flashes of brilliance on Friday paint an optimistic picture over the final 36 holes.
On the bright side, Spieth and Mickelson fared better than Bubba Watson. The big hitter followed up an opening-round 68 with a disappointing 74 on Friday that caused him to miss the cut.
Per PGA Tour Media, Watson's score is even more surprising given his long and successful history at this tournament:
Despite Watson's absence, a deep and eclectic leaderboard has things set up for a huge weekend of golf.
No one has managed to step up and take control of the tournament. There have been low scores out there, but it's been a struggle for a lot of players to take advantage. Look for things to remain tense over the final 36 holes.
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