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Jordan Spieth holds second-round lead at the Travelers Championship
Maddie Meyer
Jordan Spieth has never played in the Travelers Championship, but a new PGA Tour rule requiring players to go to different events had him giving the tournament a try. So far, so good for the two-time major champion at TPC River Highlands, as he takes the lead into the weekend at eight-under 132 after shooting a one-under 69.
Spieth's round was a bit different from his opening seven-under 63, featuring four birdies, a bogey and one double bogey on the par-5 13th. After back-to-back missed cuts at the Players and AT&T Byron Nelson, he's been able to find some form, with a T-2 finish at Colonial, T-13 at the Memorial and T-35 at the U.S. Open. He's looking for his second win of the season, the first coming in February at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Playing alongside Spieth in Saturday's final group will be his U.S. Ryder Cup partner Patrick Reed, who posted a four-under 66 and is just one back at seven-under 133. Reed, 26, rolled in a 26-footer on his opening hole for birdie that set the tone. He added three more before finally dropping a shot on the par-3 16th, but got it back on the 18th when he hit his 125-yard approach from the fairway bunker to 12 feet and holed the putt. The five-time tour winner appears to be building on his T-13 finish at last week's U.S. Open, which was his best career finish in four appearances.
Also at seven-under 133 is Troy Merritt thanks to a two-under 68 that featured just one bogey. Merritt, currently ranked 341st in the world, has missed his last four cuts and is still in search of his first top-10 finish of the season. He's only made the cut one other time in five appearances at the Travelers Championship.
Wesley Bryan, Daniel Summerhays, Chase Seiffert and Boo Weekley are two shots back at six-under 134. Weekley has made just eight cuts in 21 events this season, and has finished no higher than T37. His round was highlighted by a hole out for eagle on the par-4 10th from 170 yards out.
Despite shooting a three-over 73, Rory McIlroy made the cut at even par 140. Unfortunately for Jason Day, he won't be hanging around for the weekend after posting an even-par 70—although he actually shot a 69 but mistakenly signed for a 4 on the par-4 fourth hole when he actually made a 3—to finish at two-over 142. He missed the cut by two strokes.