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Byron Nelson 36 Hole Recap and Weekend Preview

By Ryan Andrade

Jordan Spieth hits off of the first tee during the opening round of the Byron Nelson golf tournament, Thursday, May 19, 2016, in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Jordan Spieth hits off of the first tee during the opening round of the Byron Nelson golf tournament, Thursday, May 19, 2016, in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) /
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Hometown boy, Jordan Spieth, sits one back of the lead heading into the weekend at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

The AT&T Byron Nelson is at the mid-point. It looks like a fresh start for world number two, Jordan Spieth.

The Texan missed the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship last week. It was very unfortunate and unexpected as he was looking to shake off the memory of that Augusta Sunday collapse a month prior. This week, however, Spieth is showing us all what we have come to expect from the 22 year old.

Through his first two rounds of the Byron Nelson, it is apparent that Spieth looks much more confident and relaxed. The swing issues that came to the forefront both at the Masters and PLAYERS Championship, appear to be out of his mind. Credit some of that to hard work with swing coach Cameron McCormick.

Jordan Spieth has hit a whopping 33 out of 36 greens in his first two rounds. That’s critical because we all know the type of putter he is when he is on. If he is just giving himself looks, eventually they are going to start dropping. That’s exactly what happened on 17.

The one man that Spieth is chasing is Ben Crane. The PGA TOUR veteran shot a 7-under-par 63 on Friday to take a one shot lead at 12-under-par for the championship.

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Crane’s performance has sort of come out of nowhere. Prior to this event, Crane had missed 5 out of his last 7 cuts. He is in dire need of a good week, and he is off to a perfect start. What impresses me is that he is T-50 in greens in regulation and yet he still leads. His short game has been very impressive, but it’s not something you want to rely on when trying to win out here.

In the group one back of Ben Crane is Spieth, Bud Cauley, Sergio Garcia, and Brooks Koepka. There really are some very talented players all at the top of this leaderboard. Both incredible ball strikers, Garcia and Koepka will be looking to end winless droughts, while young Bud Cauley will be looking for his first win.

Byron Nelson
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL – MAY 13: Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his shot from the 11th tee during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship at the Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 13, 2016 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

The second biggest name in this field is no doubt Dustin Johnson. The long hitter is currently four shots back of Ben Crane as he sits at 8-under-par for the championship. Johnson really needs to find a way to start making a few putts because his ball striking has yet again been impeccable. He is currently 74th in strokes gained putting. That will need to change if DJ wants to pick up career victory #10.

The course is still very soft, so scores should continue to be there for the taking. Saturday at the Byron Nelson appears to be beautiful weather wise, and Sunday we might see some showers.

Fans can follow the Byron Nelson on the AT&T Championship blog.

Next: BobbleJordan Returns at AT&T Byron Nelson

I think we are all going to be tuning in to see if Jordan Spieth can get his season back on track with his 8th career win at his home tournament. Maybe the question is who will spoil Spieth’s party at the Byron Nelson?

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