Jordan Spieth began his round Friday in brilliant fashion, notching birdies on five of the first nine holes.
He was matched up against his good friend Justin Thomas, whom he’s known since they were both 14 and playing the junior golf circuit. The two met in college, when Spieth, the Longhorn, beat Thomas, from Alabama, to help deliver Texas the 2012 national championship.
We just had our game today to start the round once again. Jumping out to a 3-up lead early on the front nine for the third straight day takes a lot of stress off.
On Friday, Spieth was bludgeoning his buddy, building a four-hole lead as the pair made the turn at Austin Country Club. Spieth clinched the match and a spot in the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play’s Round of 16 with a 42-foot putt for an eagle on the 16th hole.
“It was a bit of an odd scenario,” Spieth said. “We’ve played against each other a couple of times in the past, but we’re always rooting for each other. Now we’re in a tricky situation. I know he wanted to beat me pretty bad. And that made it a tough match for us.”
Saturday is a marathon day, with the possibility of 36 or more holes. After three days of group play, the field has been cut from 64 to 16.
Spieth and seven of the other top 16 seeds survived. But now all matches are single elimination. The Round of 16 will begin Saturday morning, followed by the quarterfinals in the afternoon. The semifinals and final will be on Sunday.