Round 2 highlights from Wells Fargo

CROMWELL, Conn. – Notes and observations from Friday’s second round of the Travelers Championship, where Jordan Spieth shot a 1-under 69 to get to 8 under par and in pole position for his second PGA TOUR victory of the season and 11th overall. Troy Merritt (68) and Patrick Reed (66) were at 7 under, while Wesley Bryan (67) was part of a quartet of players two back. For more coverage from TPC River Highlands, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. SPIETH LIMITS DAMAGE Jordan Spieth knew it might be difficult to follow up the best opening round of his young TOUR career, and it was. Not as sharp Friday as he was the day before (63), he still broke 70 at TPC River Highlands and managed to hang onto the lead by himself. For his “badâ€� round, it was pretty good. “I feel like I can control my own destiny on the weekend,â€� said Spieth, whose four birdies covered up a bogey and a double-bogey 7 at the 13th hole. “I’ve been kind of far behind in a lot of the events in making a comeback run, but being able to be toward the front of the pack on a Saturday afternoon is a beautiful position to be in, and one that we’ll certainly embrace.â€� Spieth is a first-timer at the Travelers, but it hasn’t taken him long to figure the place out. The course is short (6,841 yards), but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. “It’s tricked out elsewhere,â€� he said after hitting just 12 greens in regulation, three fewer than on day one. “And being very patient on the weekend is key. I always mention that, that’s always the word. I try to tell myself that, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.â€� Spieth took 29 putts, two more than he had in the first round. His double at the 13th was the result of pulling his drive out of bounds left. “One bad swing,â€� he said. “Otherwise it was a pretty solid round.â€� Playing partner Wesley Bryan (67, 6 under) sounded duly impressed. “Jordan’s hitting his driver great right now,â€� Bryan said. “I’m just thinking, man, if I could be playing from where he’s hitting some of these tee shots, it could play a lot easier.â€� SEIFFERT SEEKS SEMINOLE TRIFECTA Chase Seiffert, 25, is older than Daniel Berger and younger than Brooks Koepka, but all three played for Florida State, and all three have made news lately. First came Berger, who picked up his second PGA TOUR victory when he successfully defended his title at the FedEx St. Jude Classic two weeks ago. Then Koepka won the U.S. Open at Erin Hills last week. Now Seiffert—pronounced SEE-fert—is 6 under par and in a three-way tie for fourth, just two shots off the lead after posting a 4-under 66 Friday. “We’ve been talking all week about three straight Seminoles winning,â€� Seiffert said after a round that featured eagles at the par-4 third hole and the par-5 13th. “It’d be pretty cool.â€� Almost as cool would be if Seiffert were to play well on the weekend to give himself some sort of status for the remainder of this season. He Monday-qualified for the Travelers, his 67 at Ellington Ridge Country Club sharing medalist honors and marking the second time he has successfully Monday-qualified into a TOUR event this season (RSM Classic, T74). It’s not an easy life. “If it’s inside 10 hours I’ll drive,â€� Seiffert said of his Monday routine, which requires copious travel with zero job security. “Anything longer than that I’ll fly. I don’t want to ruin my back. I carry my own bag; it’s a lightweight carry bag. Although I did carry my staff bag once to Monday-qualify into a Web event. People looked at me funny.â€� Seiffert’s girlfriend and his mom went all 18 holes with him Friday, despite the stifling heat and humidity, and the fact that his mom, Stephanie Bagshaw, wears a brace on her left knee. “We made the weekend!â€� she said afterward. For Seiffert, it’s just a start; he needs to do more to leave those Monday qualifiers behind. “I came in the week with no status on any tour,â€� he said. “I knew my game was really good, and good enough to even be out here. I just had to get it done. I played well on Monday, and to come out and play the first two rounds like I did, it gives me a lot of confidence.â€� “… It’s definitely pressure just because I know what’s at stake. A good week, and I could maybe get a card or something like that, so there’s definitely pressure in that regard.â€� CALL OF THE DAY LAHIRI AT PEACE BEFORE, AFTER 63 Three weeks ago Anirban Lahiri tied for second at the Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide, which got him up to 44th in the FedExCup standings and 15th in the race to make his second Presidents Cup team—a goal that’s been on his mind all year. What has he been doing since then? Quieting his mind at the Vipassana Meditation Center in Shelburne Falls, Massahusetts, about 90 minutes north of TPC River Highlands. “It was just coincidence that that center was there,â€� Lahiri said after his round, which featured five birdies, an eagle and no bogeys. “I’ve done this course three times back home in India starting in 2004. So, I’ve been doing this for 13 years. It’s something that’s very close to me. “You go to the center for ten days, you switch your phones off. There is no TV, you’re not allowed to read. You’re meditating. You’re not allowed to talk. So, there is like complete silence for nine and a half days or so, and you’re meditating 10, 12 hours a day. It’s not just a walk in the park. You’re actually doing work, and working on improving yourself.â€� Lahiri, 29, has long heard he is too hard on himself—from his coach, his wife, his parents, and everyone else who knows him. But it’s not that easy. “I always believe unless I’m critical of myself, I can’t improve,â€� he said. “But it’s a fine line.â€� He has done a lot already to be the best player from India, but he’s not yet where he wants to be. At 66th in the Official World Golf Ranking, he’s still trying to get into the top 50 to punch his ticket to next month’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Nothing seemed to go right in his opening-round 73 at the Travelers, but his 63 got him to 4 under total, just four back. Was it the meditation? He says he doesn’t do it for golf, but it helps, nonetheless. “If you’re in a better place mentally overall, it will translate into everything,â€� Lahiri said.“Whether it’s work or sport or home or relationships, whatever it is. I mean, if you’re a happy person, or if you’re in a place where you’re at peace, it translates into everything.â€� ODDS AND ENDS A year after he made the cut on the number only to shoot a PGA TOUR record 58 in the final round of the Travelers, Jim Furyk is in much better position going into the weekend. He fired a 2-under 68 Friday to get to 5 under overall, three off the lead. “It’s been good,â€� Furyk said. “It’s been like coming back to a place where you’ve won in the past.â€� … When Jason Day, 45th in the FedExCup standings, missed a six-foot par putt on 18, it appeared that he had finished 1 over par and would miss the cut by a shot. As it turned out, he signed for a par 4 instead of the birdie he made at the fourth hole, and had to accept the higher score. His second-round 70 meant he missed the cut by two, not one. … Rory McIlroy’s right foot slipped on his approach shot to the 18th green, where he bogeyed for a second-round 73 to fall back to even par. He made the cut on the number. … Troy Merritt (68, 7 under par, one back) switched to a new Odyssey Putter for THE PLAYERS Championship last month. It didn’t immediately pay dividends. “I didn’t make any putts there,â€� he said after making over 200 feet of putts in the first two rounds at TPC River Highlands. “When I went back home for three weeks, I changed my routine a little bit. Get over the ball, no practice strokes. Just find my line and hit it. A little bit more reaction versus standing over the ball for a long time. It’s finally starting to feel a lot more comfortable now.â€� … Wesley Bryan seemed to be committing himself to the Travelers for the long term after shooting a second-round 67 to get to 6 under, just two behind playing partner Spieth. “I love this place,â€� Bryan said. “It’s going to be one of those stops that’s going to be hard for me not to put on the schedule moving forward. The golf course fits my eye.â€�  SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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NAPA, Calif. — Brandt Snedeker birdied the final three holes Saturday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the PGA TOUR’s season-opening Safeway Open. Snedeker finished with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions to get to 16-under 200 on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa. “I’m really proud of the way I stepped up there and hit some quality shots when I needed to,” Sneaker said. “I made some birdies and gave me a little bit of cushion for tomorrow, which will be really important because tomorrow’s supposed to be tougher than today, so every shot is really important coming down the stretch.” He won the Wyndham Championship in August, opening with a 59 en route to his ninth PGA TOUR title. “It was a tough day, the wind kicked up the last 12 or 13 holes,” Snedeker said. “I just did a great job of staying patient knowing the last three holes were birdies holes.” Kevin Tway was second after a 68. “It was a tough day, the wind picked up,” said Tway, who had a bogey-free round with four birdies. “I kept the ball in play nicely. I made a nice save on 14 and that was my only real bad shot.” Sungjae Im (69) was 12 under, and Bill Haas (67) followed at 11 under. “I hit some nice quality shots coming down the stretch with the two par 5s,” Haas said. “I saw it (the wind) is to supposed to blow, and be even more difficult than today. But I am very pleased with mike back nine; I hit some nice shots.” Phil Mickelson, tied for second entering the round, had a 74 to drop into a tie for 15th at 8 under. Fred Couples also was 8 under after a 70 in his final regular PGA TOUR start. The 59-year-old Hall of Famer played the first two rounds with Snedeker, shooting a 65 on Friday. “I played pretty well,” said Couples, who eagled the ninth hole. “On the front, there were a couple of birdie opportunities, but when I made the turn, the wind started to pick up and I hit a couple of good shots on 10 and 11.”  

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The Open is unique, far different than the other three majors. So, it makes sense that our experts were all over the place on who will walk off with the Claret Jug.

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