Jordan Spieth entered Friday at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson needing something special after opening with a quiet 3-under 68 that left him outside the top 50 on the leaderboard.
What followed was vintage Spieth.
The three-time major champion erupted for six consecutive birdies during his second round Friday morning, surging all the way into a tie for the lead at 11-under par.
At one point, Spieth sat 8-under through 15 holes in his round and tied alongside Sungjae Im atop the leaderboard as one of the hottest players on the golf course.
Jordan Spiethâs last six completed holes:
Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
In the process, Spieth tied the longest consecutive birdie streak of his PGA Tour career, making personal history by carding six straight birdies for just the second time ever on Tour.
His previous six-birdie run came during the opening round of the 2020 RBC Heritage when he birdied six straight holes from Nos. 16 through 3.
Now, Spieth suddenly finds himself in serious contention entering the weekend as he chases his first PGA Tour victory since 2022.
Spiethâs Putter Finally Comes Alive
The biggest development Friday was not Spiethâs ball striking, which has quietly been excellent for weeks. It was the putter.
Spieth entered the week coming off several tournaments where his putting had held him back despite consistently gaining strokes tee-to-green. Friday was the exact flip everyone had been waiting for.
According to the live strokes gained numbers during the round, Spieth led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting at +3.50 while gaining over five total strokes on the field overall. He also gained strokes around the green and on approach play during the round.
That type of performance felt inevitable considering how well he has been striking the ball recently.
When Spieth starts converting putts at an elite level, he becomes one of the most dangerous players in golf because of the pressure he puts on opponents with his creativity and momentum. Friday was a reminder of exactly that.
Even with Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka and Si Woo Kim all teeing off later Friday following strong opening rounds, sportsbooks still reacted aggressively to Spiethâs surge. Live odds moved him to around +800 to win the tournament as he continued climbing the leaderboard.
Fireworks in Spiethâs Group Added to the Chaos
As if Spiethâs birdie barrage was not enough, the featured group turned into complete chaos when Sungjae Im added his own highlight moment with a hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh hole.
Social media quickly exploded as fans tried to keep up with the action.
âJordan Spieth has gone nuclear,â BeatinTheBookie posted on X during the round.
Another fan account described the group as âan incredible watch right nowâ as Spieth kept pouring in birdies while Im aced the seventh.
Spieth also came within striking distance of PGA Tour history. The Tour record for consecutive birdies in a round is nine, shared by Mark Calcavecchia at the 2009 RBC Canadian Open and Kevin Chappell at the 2019 Greenbrier.
Spieth did not get there Friday, but for a few hours, it certainly felt possible.
UPDATED: Spieth ultimately finished the round at -9 with seven birdies on his back nine to get him to -12 overall at the tournament. Could this be the week we have all been waiting for?
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