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SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – A day after saying he had to be patient with the results, Jordan Spieth shot an Under-61 player on Saturday for a lead share at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He then repeated himself.
“What I’m looking forward to is to stay the course, to trust it,” said Spieth. “I have no expectations on tomorrow’s results. I really don’t.”
Without a win since the 2017 British Open, Spieth was tied with Xander Sc Chaudele at under 196.
“I’ve built some freedom now seeing these results the first few days here where I feel really good about the path I’m on,” said Spieth. “I feel good about what the future holds for me in the long term. And at times that has been called into question. To myself.”
The 27-year-old Texan is trying to regain the form that took him to 11 PGA Tour wins – including three majors – in his first five seasons on the tour.
“I just felt like I was staying really, really patient and hitting the ball well,” said Spieth. “I just tried hitting him on the fatty parts of the greens when I was out of position and trying to attack when I could.”
He turned up the volume over the last nine at nearly empty TPC Scottsdale, drawing the biggest roar of the week from the limited 16th par 3 crowd when he rolled in a 36-foot birdie and head pure.
Instead of the usual Saturday crowd that has topped 200,000 in recent years, attendance is capped at 5,000 per day – the most for a tour during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I told Michael (Caddy Greller) that the only downside to the 16 birdie putt is that it would have arguably been the loudest roar I have ever had if it was last year,” Spieth said. “But it was still strong.”
He followed with a 30-foot birdie of 17 after rolling well to the left on the par 4 court.
“All of a sudden today when you’re kind of in the thick of it and the crowd was feeding and really wanted those putts with me, it was actually like nothing had happened,” he said. Spieth said.
He birdied four of the top nine for a share of the lead, then had an unexpected birdie on par 4-10 when he went from 70 feet.
“I had some really good breaks,” said Spieth. “Every shot that ended in the desert, I think I ended up playing those 2 or 3 penny holes today. You could easily end up in a cactus with an unplayable.”
Spieth hit a 170-yard foot for birdie on the par 4 11th, then narrowly missed both par 5 back nine. On the 13th, he was unable to drop a 5-1 / 2-foot eagle putt after a second 208-yard shot from the desert hardpan. On the 15th, guarded by the water, he left a 24 foot eagle putt.
A week after missing the cup at Torrey Pines on his first start since the Masters in November, he tied the best of his 61 laps in the third round of his 2015 victory in the John Deere Classic.
Fourth-placed ScHotele, after a tie for second place to Torrey Pines in his hometown event, shot a 65 to tie Spieth at 18 under 196. ScHotele had four of the final holes, shooting a 7-by-17 for equalize Spieth.
“I kind of hung in there and kind of capitalized on the holes I needed in the back nine,” said ScHotele.
Spieth and ScHotele were last paired in the final group at the final round of the British Open 2018 at Carnoustie. ScHotele shot a 74 tied for second behind Francesco Molinari, and Spieth had a 76 to tie for ninth.
“I hope we both play a little better,” said Spieth.
Scottie Scheffler and Kyoung-Hoon Lee each shot 66 to reach 15 cents.
Justin Thomas, third in the last two years of the event, had a 64 to join Louis Oosthuizen (63) at 14 under. Thomas wasted five strokes over two holes Thursday night and Friday morning, realizing a triple bogey on 17 in the first round and opening the second with a double on 10.
Steve Stricker, the 53-year-old U.S. Ryder Cup captain trying to become the oldest winner in PGA Tour history, had a 69 tied for seventh at 13 under with Brooks Koepka (66) and James Hahn (66). Stricker started the day one behind ScHotele after the opening laps of 65 and 66.
“I actually played better off the tee to the green than the first two days, I thought,” said Stricker. “I had a lot of quality shots. I just didn’t make the putts I had made for the past two days. ”
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