Spieth, who started the day tied for the lead with Sergio Garcia, was one-under for the day and facing a 23-foot birdie putt at the third when a thunderstorm halted play for more than two hours.The American rolled in the putt when play resumed, adding an 11-foot birdie at the sixth and a 20-footer at the 14th for an 11-under par total at Colonial Country Club of 129.
‘(The) putter still felt pretty good,’ Spieth said. ‘I came out of the rain delay and I made a nice putt on three, and really felt like I had a chance to birdie almost every hole on that front nine and even into the back nine.
‘But I didn’t swing it as well,’ he said. ‘I knew I was going to kind of have to manage my way around the golf course a little bit, and fortunately did a really great job of that.’
‘It’s nice if you play a bogey-free round,’ added Spieth, who got up and down for par from a greenside bunker at the 16th and rolled in a 16-footer from the fringe for par at 18.
He overtook Jason Kokrak, who set an early target with six birdies in a five-under 65 that put him in the clubhouse on 10-under before the rain delay.
Garcia had two birdies and a bogey in his one-under 69 before the delay to head a group on eight-under 132 that also included Colombian Sebastian Munoz and Patton Kizzire, who both shot 65.
Spieth said fatigue might have been a factor in his lack of sharpness late in the round.
He played alongside Mickelson, who had two bogeys in the last three holes in a one-under 69 for a two-over total of 142 — one shot outside the cut line.
Mickelson made history on Sunday at Kiawah Island, winning the PGA Championship for a sixth major title and, at 50, becoming the oldest man to win one of golf’s Grand Slam events.
He started the day three-over and opened with a bogey but with three birdies in four holes had battled back to get himself inside the cut line.
He was even for the tournament after a birdie at the 15th, but he was unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker at both 16 and 18 — leaving himself a 10-foot par putt at the last that he couldn’t get to drop.
While Spieth thought his back nine left room for improvement, he was looking forward to the weekend on a Colonial course where he won in 2016.
‘I’m in a good spot at a familiar place, and just going to have to go check on the weather and set a goal for the weekend,’ Spieth said.
AFP
