Vintage Jordan Spieth Has Entered the Chat at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson

Last Thursday at Aronimink, I walked the front nine (their back nine) with Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm. McIlroy didn’t have his best stuff, which showed up with four straight bogeys to close his day. Rahm had some highlight moments, including a hole-out eagle on the par-4 second, but those made his scorecard look a little better than he actually played.

Jordan Spieth, on the other hand, drove it on a string, rolled it well, but just didn’t get a lot out of his game. He shot an even-par 35, but I walked away thinking about what could’ve been and what we might see from him soon.

Well, we got Spieth at the height of his powers on Friday in McKinney, Texas.

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During the second round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch, Spieth, starting on the back nine, made birdies at Nos. 14 and 17 to make the turn in 2-under 33. I’m not sure what his halfway-house snack was, but that might have to be the move going forward.

He rattled off six straight(!) birdies from Nos. 1-6, helped by a great break at the par-5 fifth.

After a few ho-hum pars at seven and eight, Spieth added another circle to his card at the par-5 ninth thanks to this nasty up-and-down from over the back of the green.

Just gross (in the best way possible).

He hit eight fairways, 14 greens, got up-and-down all four times, and was ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting when he signed for a 9-under 62. That’s the vintage Spieth we’ve been waiting to see!

When he spoke with the media afterward, he said he made an adjustment with the putter last night.

"I felt fluid with it. I felt like I—in what I've been trying to do, I've been trying to put it all together," he said. "I know what needs to happen, but putting it all together into a fluid stroke and then being able to be outwardly focused has been the goal. I felt like last night I did a really good job out here of that being the goal, find that, and then carry it into this morning and then trust it on the course."

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The craziest part? He wasn’t even the low man in his own group. Sungjae Im, who made a hole-in-one at the par-3 seventh, shot a 10-under 61. Craig Ranch’s $25 million renovation hasn’t exactly made it tougher on these guys so far.

Together, Spieth and Im posted a best-ball 57. Pretty, pretty good.

Sitting at 12 under, Spieth is in great position going into Moving Day, regardless of what the afternoon wave does. The only question now is: can he do it for two more days?

That said, Spieth is appointment viewing anytime he’s around the lead. This weekend is going to be fun.