Jordan Spieth at Genesis Open 2017: Friday Score and Reaction
Jordan Spieth moved within two shots of the lead Friday at the Genesis Open before his second round was suspended through 16 holes played due to inclement weather in Pacific Palisades, California.
Spieth was three under on the day and is now five under on the tournament, which puts him in a tie for fourth place and two strokes behind leaders Jhonattan Vegas and Sam Saunders, as seen in this look at the leaderboard:
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The two-time major champion enjoyed a strong round at Riviera Country Club with four birdies and one bogey to his credit:
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 |
| Round 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 35 |
| Overall | -3 | -3 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 |
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 |
| Round 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | x | x | x |
| Overall | -4 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -5 | -5 | x | x | x |
Spieth began his day on the back nine and enjoyed immediate success with a birdie on the par-four 10th hole.
He gave a stroke back on No. 12 with a bogey, but Spieth seemingly found his stride in all aspects of the game from that point forward.
The 23-year-old is generally known for beating the competition on and around the greens, but he was impressive off the tee Friday despite elements that were less than ideal.
That is evidenced by this video courtesy of the PGA Tour in which Spieth outdrove the powerful Bubba Watson on No. 13:
The putter remained Spieth's best friend during the second round, though, as he used it to make his move on the 16th hole.
Following a solid tee shot on the par three, Spieth smoothly sunk a birdie putt to move back to three under on the tournament:
After making the turn, Spieth took advantage of the par-five first hole with his third birdie of the day and continued to climb the leaderboard.
Spieth then went on a four-hole par streak before carding his fourth and final birdie of the round on No. 6.
That birdie putt was set up by a fortunate tee shot that saw him overshoot the green only for it to funnel back toward the hole:
Spieth finished things off with a par on the seventh before the horn sounded to signal the end of play for Friday.
It is difficult to gauge exactly where Spieth stands in relation to the rest of the field since several golfers never even started their second rounds, including co-leader Saunders, as well as both Dustin Johnson and J.T. Poston, who are tied with Spieth currently.
Even so, Spieth made great progress Friday in the form of improving his positioning by 28 spots.
He is also coming off his first win of 2017 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he has more momentum to his credit than anyone else in the field.
Also, based on the following stat courtesy of GolfChannel.com's Justin Ray, golf is turning into a young man's sport, which bodes well for Spieth's chances:
The Texas native has yet to finish worse than ninth in a tournament this year, and he has finished third or better in three of his four outings.
Spieth has once again given himself an opportunity to be in the mix during the weekend, provided Saunders doesn't run away with things when his second round commences.
The rainy conditions could prove beneficial to Spieth since he has handled them well and they may not be conducive to other players posting low scores.
Regardless of his opponents, Spieth is playing elite golf currently, and he is very much in the running to post back-to-back wins and the 10th overall victory of his career.
Post-Round Reaction
Poor weather made it tough on everyone Friday, but Spieth felt ready for it after going through a similar situation last week at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com):
"We knew it would be interesting today, and last week actually was great prep for it because we played through conditions like this that first round. Things aren't going to always go your way on a day like today. Actually, rarely they're going to go your way. ... Tough break on this wave, but that happens, too. Go out tomorrow and play a strong last couple of holes and see if we can take advantage this weekend.
"
Spieth will have two holes to complete Saturday morning if the weather permits, and he'll have a much better idea of where he stands in terms of competing for a win once he begins his third round.
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