Here comes Mr. Spieth

By Tim Cronin

Writing from Silvis, Illinois

Friday, July 10, 2015

Let the record show that Scott D. Pinckney, of the Anthem, Ariz., Pinckneys, was the leader of the 45th John Deere Classic at lunch hour on Friday.

Let the record also show that Justin Louis Thomas, of the Louisville, Ky., Thomases, who shared the lead at TPC Deere Run after Thursday’s competition, was the sole leader at the halfway point at 12-under-par 130 on the strength of a second round 4-under 67. That places him a stroke ahead of Johnson Wagner, whose 8-under 63 was the best round of the day, and two ahead of Pinckney and Daniel Summerhays.

Those efforts and that of Luke Guthrie, who is four back, were formidable, but nothing, not even local favorite Zach Johnson’s 26th straight Deere round in the 60s, surpassed the interest in nor the return to form of one Jordan Alexander Spieth, of the Dallas, Tex., Spieths. Followed by thousands of supplicants, Spieth followed his ho-hum opening round of even par 71 with a 7-under-par 64 on Friday to not only assure his place in the field for the weekend, but place himself in contention. Five strokes back at 7-under 135 and tied for 16th, he is very much a factor.

To put it mildly, Spieth was not amused with his opening round effort, one he thought little better than how he played in Wednesday’s pro-am. But Friday? Friday was real golf to the world’s second-ranked player, and the best player without a wonky ankle.

“Today was a big day,” Spieth judged. “I wasn’t feeling good about my game based on Wednesday and yesterday. Ultimately this was a big day for me in my preparation for next week.”

That being the British Open – or Open Championship, if you prefer – on the Old Course, the ancient muni at St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. The one where, should Spieth emerge as the champion golfer for the year and grasp the Claret Jug to go with his green jacket and U.S. Open trophy, he would be three-fourths of the way to the Grand Slam.

He can think about St. Andrews now, knowing he won’t be leaving for there until Sunday. And, despite what some writers with agendas have written, he wanted to play four rounds at Deere Run, period. That’s why he called Friday’s effort “a solid round when I just needed to play well just to avoid going home.”

In reality, Spieth’s round, only his third since winning the U.S. Open, didn’t begin until his fifth hole, the 14th at Deere Run, following a quartet of pars. He drilled his second shot to three feet and dropped the putt for a birdie. He added birdies on the 16th – from 24 feet – and 18th to move to 3-under and inside the cut line, then toured the front nine in 4-under 31. That side was punctuated by an eagle 3 on the par 5 second created by a 241-yard approach to four feet with a driving iron.

“Then the cut line was out of my head and it was, ‘How can we move up the board a little more?’ ” Spieth said.

By making birdies on the fifth and seventh, that’s how. At 8 under, he was one off the lead at that moment. When the day’s play was concluded, Spieth, whose round was marred only by a bogey on the par-4 eighth, was tied for 16th, an 85-position improvement on being tied for 101st after 18 holes.

“I wasn’t taking it for granted,” Spieth said of his return to superior form. “I was still searching yesterday. Went to the range in the evening, couldn’t find any answers. Couldn’t find any answers this morning. I was texting with my coach (Cameron McCormick), and just went out in a positive frame of mind. Once I got a couple shorter putts to go in and I had a little bit of breathing room, I was able to be a little more patient. That hole starts to get bigger with the putter.”

Spieth considered himself tentative at times, not that his score showed it.

“When greens are this soft, I’m hesitant to fly the ball to the hole, because it’s going to spin,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s going to spin below the hole to a fall-line spot, so I’m just trying to be a little too perfect on this course. That’s what’s bit me in the past.”

With a win and tie for seventh the last two years, Spieth has, like the shark he caught while fishing last week, bit more than he’s been bitten. And his trend of a great second round following an average first at the Deere is now four-for-four. To him, it was just a matter of playing.

“I’m getting on-course reps and it’s making a difference,” Spieth said.

Little things like being a bit more aggressive putting meant making putts rather than missing low.

“The putt on 16 was really big,” he said of the 24-footer. “I knew I had a lot of birdie holes left.”

Thomas, like Spieth, made his first appearance in the Deere on an exemption issued by tournament director Clair Peterson, who annually picks the best college players and lures them to the course. That’s paid off in loyal returnees, and Thomas, again like Spieth, has climbed up the leaderboard. His 130 matches the 36-hole total the last two years.

“I’m comfortable,” Thomas said of his leading position. “I’ve been there a lot. I’ve had my opportunities and learned from my mistakes.”

What he hasn’t done is win, but the Deere is the tournament that produces first-time PGA Tour winners the way the sponsoring company makes lawn mowers. They come off an assembly line at Deere Run. The next one will be the 21st, a list including Spieth and Brian Harman the last two Julys.

Wagner built his 63 on seven birdies in eight holes starting at No. 6, then added an eighth at the par-5 17th to close within a stroke of Thomas. Gillis added a 65 to his opening 66, and has managed to birdie the first, second, 10th, 14th and 17th hole each day. He’s 2-under on the other 26 holes he’s played.

Johnson and Guthrie are grouped at 8-under 134, joined by Steve Stricker, who, aside from a bogey at the last, isn’t playing like a 48-year-old part-timer still recovering from back surgery this week.

They’re a stroke ahead of Spieth. At least for now.

Around Deere Run

The cut fell at 4-under-par 138, with 73 players surviving. Those who missed by a stroke included Winfield’s Kevin Streelman, Stewart Cink, Camilo Villegas and Patrick Rodgers.  Others down the highway include Pekin’s D.A. Points, Trevor Immelman and NCAA champion Bryson DeChambeau. ... Those who squeezed in on the number include amateur Lee McCoy and Scott Langley, one of the many Illinois grads in the field. ... It’s the fourth straight year an amateur has made the cut, and the fourth year in five the cut has been 138. ... The field averaged 69.903 strokes on Friday. ... Mike Weir withdrew after bogeying the first hole, citing a bad back. He was 3 over at the time.