Spieth Falters, Other Big Names Shine at Travelers Championship

CROMWELL, CT — A first-round co-leader added 10 strokes to his opening round score, falling back into the pack, while another came within a fraction of an inch of remaining tied for the lead after two rounds of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.

Jordan Spieth, the defending champion who fired a blistering 63 in Thursday's first round, started on the back nine in the morning and promptly triple-bogeyed the par-5 13th, incurring two penalty strokes along the way. He then found the water with his tee shot on the drivable par-4 15th for the second straight day, winding up with a bogey.

Making the turn to the front nine, he carded his only birdie of the day by sinking a 13-foot putt on 1, but immediately gave the stroke back by missing a 9-foot par putt on 2. He also bogeyed 4, failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker, before thrilling the gallery with a 276-yard approach shot on the par-3 6th, which stopped 21 inches from the cup for an easy eagle. His 3-over par 73 left him in a tie for 25th at 4-under.

Zach Johnson, who also shot 63 on Thursday and started on the back nine Friday afternoon, carded 16 pars, with birdies at 13 and his finishing hole, the ninth. He nearly birdied 3, when his 18-foot putt stopped on the right edge of the cup. After a wait of nearly 20 seconds, he addressed the ball for a tap-in, but it fell into the hole. However, a rules official determined the 10-second wait period had elapsed, forcing him to settle for par.

Johnson's two-day total of 9-under 131 has him tied for second with Matt Jones (65-66) and Russell Henley (66-65), a stroke behind pacesetter Brian Harman.

A two-time winner on the PGA TOUR who tied for second in the 2017 U.S. Open, Harman followed his opening-round 64 with a wild 66, which included three birdies and three bogeys in his first eight holes of the day.

2015 Travelers runnerup Paul Casey, Bryson DeChambeau and Beau Hossler are tied for fifth at 8-under, while two-time Travelers champion Bubba Watson and four-time major titleholder Rory McIlroy are another stroke back at 7-under. Watson tied for low round of the day with a 63.

A total of 74 players made the cut of 2-under par 138. Winners of major championships who will be playing this weekend include Jason Day (-6), Justin Thomas (-5), Padraig Harrington (-5), Stewart Cink (-4), Brooks Koepka (-3) and Keegan Bradley (-2). In addition to Spieth, Watson and Cink, past Travelers champions making the cut include J.J. Henry (-4), Hunter Mahan (-4), Russell Knox (-3), Kevin Streelman (-3) and Ken Duke (-2).

Major championship winners missing the cut were Patrick Reed (-1), Graeme McDowell (even), Geoff Ogilvy (even), Jim Furyk (+1), Webb Simpson (+5), Chad Campbell (+6) and Retief Goosen (+8), as well as former Travelers champion Marc Leishman (+1).

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Photo: Russell Henley is tied for second at 9-under par, one stroke off the lead
Videos: 1) Matt Jones' birdie attempt on No. 17; 2) Jason Day putts for birdie, also at 17
Photo and video credits: Tim Jensen