Page 18 - aruba-today-20170624

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 24 June 2017
Jordan Spieth maintains lead in Travelers Championship

By PAT EATON-ROBB qualify Monday to get into good shape on 18. He was
AP Sports Writer the tournament. He made on the right edge of the
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) two eagles Friday and fin- fairway and looking at a
— Jordan Spieth played ished with a 66 to reach 6 second shot 105 yards from
well enough in the sec- under. the hole. But he slipped
ond round of the Travel- “I came into the week with during the swing and the
ers Championship to stay no status on any tour, but ball went just 63 yards and
in the lead. Rory McIlroy I knew my game was re- farther right.
played just well enough to ally good,” Seiffert said. “I “My right foot completely
stay in the tournament. just had to get it done. To came out from under me,”
Spieth shot a 1-under 69 come out and play the first he said.
on Friday morning, then two rounds the way I did, “Obviously, there was a
watched as a windy af- it gives me a lot of confi- tiny bit of drizzle. Maybe a
ternoon kept anyone from dence. little bit of surface water.
overtaking him. Wesley Bryan (67), Daniel Just, I don’t know. It was
The conditions also kept Summerhays (68) and Boo weird. As soon as I started
fourth-ranked Jason Day Weekley (68) also were 5 down, I just felt it and I
from making the cut for a under. couldn’t stop.”
second straight week. He Jordan Spieth holds up his ball during the first round of the Trav- Graham DeLaet led briefly McIlroy may have saved
bogeyed the 18th for a elers Championship golf tournament Thursday, June 22, 2017, in during the afternoon, but his tournament on the 13th.
70 to finish at 2 over. No. 3 Cromwell, Conn. Spieth shot a 7-under 63 for a one-stroke lead. had a double bogey on After hitting his first shot in
McIlroy shot a 73, also clos- Associated Press 18 for a 70 to drop into the the water and taking a
ing with a bogey, but man- group at 5 under. drop, he hit his third shot to
aged to just sneak into the in making comeback runs,” wind gusts that exceeded Eighty-five players made 17 feet and made par. He
weekend at even par. said Spieth, the two-time 20 mph to hit 11 of 14 fair- the cut and 68 finished then putted in from off the
Spieth, who began the major champion who tied ways and 14 of 18 greens. within seven shots of the green on 14. McIlroy, who
day one shot ahead after for 35th last week in the U.S. “A golf course like this, even lead. didn’t qualify for the week-
a first-round 63, started on Open. “But being able to when the wind is blowing, The biggest drama of the end at Erin Hills, hasn’t
the back nine. be toward the front of the if you’re hitting your tee afternoon was watch- missed consecutive cuts
The 23-year-old Texan had pack on a Saturday after- shots straight, you’re going ing the world’s third- and since 2012.
to recover from a double noon is a beautiful position to have some wedges into fourth-ranked players try to “I won’t be thinking about
bogey on the par-5 13th to be in and one that we’ll the greens,” Reed said. make it to the weekend. trying to win the tourna-
hole after hitting his tee shot certainly embrace. I’m go- U.S. Open champion Brooks Day was close, until he hit ment from there,” he said.
left and out-of-bounds. He ing to try to have a lot of Koepka isn’t in Connecti- his second shot at 18 into I’ll be thinking about trying
also had four birdies and a fun this weekend.” cut this week, but former a greenside bunker. He to go and play a good,
bogey to reach 8 under. Patrick Reed (66) and Troy Florida State teammate failed to get up and down, solid round of golf. But we
“We’ve been kind of far Merritt (68) were tied for Chase Seiffert is in conten- missing a 6-footer for par. have seen here in the past
behind in a lot of the events second. Both fought off tion. The 25-year-old had to McIlroy seemed to be in guys going out and shoot-
ing a low score and get-
ting themselves back into
the tournament.”
Anirban Lahiri of India,
playing his first tournament
since tying for second at
the Memorial, shot a bo-
gey-free 63 to move to 4
under. He made a 32-foot
eagle putt on No. 13.
“I was out (since the Me-
morial) meditating,” he
said. “So I’ve been a little
bit rusty.
The body is kind of easing
its way back in. So I think
I’m going to get better as
the week progresses.”
Two-time Travelers cham-
pion Bubba Watson, who
missed the cut at Erin Hills,
will have another weekend
off. He followed up a 75
in the first round with a 67
and finished at 2 over.
Weather could also affect
the scoring Saturday. A
forecast of rain led tour-
nament officials to move
the start of the third round
back to 11 a.m., with the
players going out in three-
somes off the first and 10th
tees.q