McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — Jordan Spieth could only watch a year ago as good buddy Scottie Scheffler became the first of the two to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the hometown event they both cherish.
Spieth is giving himself a good chance to answer.
The three-time major winner started his back nine — the front side of TPC Craig Ranch — with six consecutive birdies on the way to a 9-under 62 in the second round Friday.
Spieth is one shot behind playing partner
Sungjae Im, who aced the par-3 seventh moments after Spieth's sixth birdie in a row and shot 61. The South Korean was tied for the early second-round lead at 13-under 129 with Japan's Kensei Harata.
Scheffler started at 5 under in an afternoon pairing with Brooks Koepka, who opened with a 63 and is looking for his first victory since his return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf.
Tyler Duncan shot 66 to join Spieth at 12 under, one stroke ahead of first-round leader Taylor Moore, who followed his opening 62 with a 69.
Spieth credited a par 4 at No. 18 for setting up his birdie binge, which started with a 12-footer. He hit the first four fairways after struggling off the tee on his first nine, made a 12-footer at the par-3 fourth, a 4-footer on the par-5 fifth and capped the surge from 9 feet on the sixth.
After Spieth put his tee 29 feet right of a pin to the far left at No. 7, Im bounced his 222-yard shot between the fringe and the hole and watched it roll in, raising his arms and looking skyward after the ball dropped out of sight. The 28-year-old was tied for the lead at that point.
“That was one of the prettiest hole-in-ones I’ve ever seen,” Spieth said. “Prettier than any one I ever made. There’s only a few people that would land that left of it on purpose. He might be one of them.”
Spieth's birdie run ended when his 29-footer at No. 7 came up about a foot short, while Im added another eagle with a 14-foot putt at the par-5 ninth. Spieth finished a bogey-free round with a birdie on No. 9. Im had a bogey and seven birdies to go along with his hole-in-one and eagle.
“I was hurting my head trying to figure out what our best ball was,” Spieth said. “I think it was 57, which is pretty good.”
Spieth, who contended on Sunday as a 16-year-old high schooler at his first Nelson in 2010, finished fourth a year ago when Scheffler won by eight at 31 under while tying the tour's 72-hole scoring record of 253.
The 32-year-old Spieth with 13 tour victories was actually worried about the cutline when he was 5 under at the turn. Then he went on to match his career best at the Nelson from the final round last year.
“Just a lot of it just comes down to knocking in putts,” he said. “It’s not a normal week, and it’s fantastic. Now that our families have grown and stuff, you get the little kids coming out, and it makes it even better.”
Hirata, a six-time Japanese tour winner looking for his first PGA Tour victory, followed a 64 that included an eagle with a bogey-free 65. A short birdie putt on the ninth pulled him even with Im.
The 25-year-old Hirata had missed the cut in five of his previous seven starts this season.
“Every week, even some bad weeks, I learn to not give up,” Hirata said. “Just don’t give up. Just give some chance. Yeah, just keep going.”
Spieth has been telling himself the same thing for 16 years in a beloved event he probably thought he would have won by now.
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