Jordan Spieth second-nine birdie spree leads to 62, one shot off lead at Byron Nelson

Jordan Spieth finished one shot off his best round in more than a decade Friday at TPC Craig Ranch.

Spieth’s bogey-free 62 included a second-nine where he recorded seven birdies — all to get him within a stroke of Sungjae Im atop the CJ Cup Byron Nelson leaderboard, before the 36-hole cut is made later in the day.

Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka still have 18 holes to get within Im and Spieth.

Nonetheless, there’s plenty for Spieth fans to celebrate. The Texan has given himself a chance to win his first Tour event in more than four years.

It all started on his second nine where Spieth, who began the round on the 10th hole, tied his career-best for most consecutive birdies. He previously accomplished the mark during his opening round at the RBC Heritage in 2020.

Spieth went six-for-six on hole Nos. 1-6 after carding a 33 on his first nine holes Friday. The birdie fest was snapped at the par-3 seventh where he two-putted for par.

Spieth has been circling this type of day all season, with seven T-25 finishes and seven rounds in the 60s over the last month.

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson - Rd 2

The second round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson is underway at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.

Im tied Spieth and Hirata with an ace on the par-3 seventh. Im and Spieth have two holes left (Nos. 8 and 9) on their second round.