Jordan Spieth survived the John Deere leaderboard cut at 3 under, and he did it the hard way with three back-nine birdies in the second round. That left him among the 80 players who earned Saturday tee times at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.
Spieth at 3 under
The number was exact. Spieth needed 3 under to stay in the tournament, and he reached it after a second-round rally that kept the cutline from closing the door on a two-time John Deere winner.
His path turned on the back nine, where the three birdies erased enough ground to put him on the number. He said of the pulled iron shot on the par-5 10th, "It was actually one of my better swings of the day" and then added, "The problem was I had made so many bad swings I was protecting from right."
Jackson Koivun, Ben Griffin
Jackson Koivun’s professional debut ended short of the weekend despite a 1-under 70 on Friday after a higher opening score. He had finished T11 at this event a year earlier, but this time the cutline left him out.
Ben Griffin offered the round’s other big move, posting a 65 and climbing 40 spots on the leaderboard. Eric Cole also surged, shooting 8-under 63 after PXG overnighted him a new set of irons, a turnaround from his Thursday 76.
Brian Campbell on 1-over 142
Brian Campbell, the defending champion, also missed the cut at 1-over 142. Dylan Fritelli and Michael Kim were among the other notable names who failed to advance, while Keegan Bradley survived on the number.
The cut came in a field that included 10 players in the top 50 of the FedExCup Standings, so every shot on Friday carried direct weekend value. Spieth’s finish matters because he stayed alive in a tournament where the weekend field was trimmed to those who cleared the line, and he now gets another round to turn that escape into something bigger. For now, the John Deere leaderboard has him in the group playing on, not the group heading out.
