Jordan Spieth stays one-shot ahead at Travelers Championship
Monday 26 June 2017 00:30, UK
Jordan Spieth birdied three of the last four holes to retain his lead at the Travelers Championship as Boo Weekley charged into contention in the third round.
Spieth has enjoyed pole position since opening with a superb 63 at TPC River Highlands, but he looked in danger of relinquishing his lead when he bogeyed the 13th and 14th while Weekley produced a brilliant back-nine 30 to set the clubhouse target at 11 under.
But Spieth bounced back with birdies at 15 and 16, and he rolled in a 20-foot putt for another at the last to cap a battling 66 which took him one clear of Weekley, while Daniel Berger was also four under for the round as he closed on nine under.
Rory McIlroy's decision to change putters halfway through the tournament did not have the desired effect as he again struggled on the greens and carded a frustrating 70 to remain on level par, but Paul Casey is within striking distance of the leader after he posted a five-birdie 66 which lifted him to eight under par.
Spieth looked out of sorts over the first six holes until he lifted his spirits with an unexpected birdie at the long sixth, where his escape from a greenside bunker rolled off the putting surface and left him with a tricky up-and-down with little green to work with.
But he pitched in to pick up his first shot of the day, and he added another with a sublime approach to inside three feet at the next before he gave a stroke back at the ninth after pulling his drive into a fairway bunker which left him unable to hit the green in two.
Spieth responded with assured irons to set up back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11, although he erred again at the long 13th as he blocked his tee shot into water and ran up a six, and another shot went at 14 when he came up short with his second from inside 150 yards.
But he came within inches of an eagle-two at the driveable par-four 15th as his bunker splash-out shaved the hole, and he knocked the best tee-shot of the day to six feet at the next and converted for his sixth birdie of the round.
Spieth then found sand again off the tee at the last, but he clipped a short-iron to 20 feet and followed it with a perfect putt to regain the outright lead ahead of Weekley, who was just level par for the front nine before his putter caught fire after the turn.
The veteran former Ryder Cup star, who is playing his 21st event of the season, started his run with a birdie from outside 30 feet at the 11th, and he picked up further shots at 13, 15 and 17 before getting another putt to drop on the final green to complete an entertaining 65.
Berger, who successfully defended his FedEx St Jude Classic title earlier this month, carded five birdies and just one bogey at the 17th as he moved to nine under and outright third ahead of CT Pan (64), David Lingmerth (65) and Casey, who came home in 31 to post his third sub-70 score of the week.
Charley Hoffman had surged to 10 under after he followed an eagle at 13 with birdies at the next two holes, but he lost ground when he double-bogeyed the 16th and then bogeyed 17 and 18 to drop to six under.
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But Padraig Harrington slid 13 places down the leaderboard with a disappointing 71 that left him eight shots adrift of Spieth, while defending champion Russell Knox is a further stroke behind.
