Travelers Championship 2017: Jordan Spieth Maintains Lead After Round 2

Jordan Spieth couldn't match his blistering 63 from Thursday, but his one-under 69 during Friday's second round was enough to keep him in the lead at eight-under overall in the 2017 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. 

His more mundane performance in Round 2 did allow the field to close the gap, though. Patrick Reed and Troy Merritt are tied for second place just one stroke off the pace, while Wesley Bryan, Daniel Summerhays, Boo Weekley and Chase Seiffert are two shots back heading into the weekend.

Here's a look at the updated tournament leaderboard through 36 holes:

Spieth, who started the day on the back nine, rolled in a birdie on the 12th to quickly move further into red figures after his outstanding opening round. An awful tee shot on No. 13 set the stage for a double bogey and, in the bigger picture, a day where he'd fail to make much progress.

While no facet of his game was particularly strong Friday, the inability to get on a roll with the putter did cost him a couple birdie chances. It's a concern mostly because trouble on the greens is the main reason he didn't contend at last week's U.S. Open.

The PGA Tour highlighted one of his few key putting conversions:

Afterward, he talked about the up-and-down day with the PGA Tour's official website:

Reed nearly put together an unblemished round. The 26-year-old Texas native was four-under after 15 holes before his first dropped shot of the day on the 16th. He narrowly missed a putt from just inside 17 feet which would have preserved the bogey-free round.

He bounced back nicely with a birdie on the closing hole to get the shot back to complete a four-under 66. It leaves him in perfect position to challenge for his first victory of 2017 over the next two days. He's captured at least one win every year since 2013.

The PGA Tour showcased his mid-range birdie at No. 18:

Meanwhile, a star-studded group of players missed the cut for the second straight week.

Luke Donald (+1), Bubba Watson (+2), Jason Day (+2), Zach Johnson (+4) and Justin Thomas (+5) headlined the group of players who finished below the even-par cut line. Rory McIlroy nearly joined them due to four bogeys on the back nine, but he survived on the number.

Jason Sobel of ESPN provided further details about Day's second straight missed cut:

Darren Murphy of the Fifty Footy commented on the fourth-ranked player's early exit:

Looking ahead, PGA Tour Media announced Saturday's tee times were adjusted due to the potential for inclement weather. They will play threesomes in Round 3, rather than the typical two-player weekend pairings, starting at 11 a.m. ET from both tees.

Spieth is the player to beat heading into the third round despite his lackluster Friday. If his putter doesn't heat up starting Saturday afternoon, however, the leaderboard could become even more jumbled and competitive for the final round.