Spieth, Casey, Howell III dazzle in marquee group at Wyndham Championship

GREENSBORO, N.C. – It’s been an anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better kind of week so far for Paul Casey, Jordan Speith and Charles Howell III at the Wyndham Championship. The marquee group has positively dazzled through the first two rounds at Sedgefield Country Club, making a combined total of 35 birdies, one eagle and just eight bogeys. Casey has gone bogey free, shooting matching 65s, and is just one shot off the lead after chipping in for birdie at the ninth hole, his last on Friday. Howell and Spieth are tied at 9 under, two off the pace, after posting 65 and 67, respectively, in the second round. “It’s nice when you’ve got a group of guys who are feeding off each other and great energy,â€� Casey said. “We had a great crowd walking around as well. You don’t want to be in those flat groups and ours certainly wasn’t one of those, it was an exciting group to be in. “Happy I snuck ahead of the guys on the last with the chip-in, but as I said, the two guys I played with are two kind of the strong guys to look at this weekend, probably going to be two of the favorites as we move ahead.â€� Spieth acknowledged that it was unusual to find a threesome shooting a combined 28 under – as evenly divided as it could be – over two rounds. “We all had a blast,â€� he said. “I mean, different guys birdieing different holes, but when you see other putts go in, it certainly makes it look a little bigger before you even hit your putt. … “Won’t be rooting for as many putts to go in over the weekend from my players I’m playing with, but all in all, yeah, the hole looks bigger right now. I’ve got to continue to focus very much on my speed out here and certainly trust in the reads.â€� Spieth hasn’t played in the Wyndham Championship since 2013 when he lost in a playoff to Patrick Reed. He came to Greensboro this week winless since the 2017 Open Championship and ranked an uncharacteristic 67th in the FedExCup and looking to make a move. That putter – Spieth has needed just 23 putts in each of the first two rounds – has helped offset a tee-to-green game that is still a work in progress. Spieth has only hit 16 fairways and 21 greens in regulation as he continues to regain control of his swing, going through several different feels on Friday alone. “I’m still looking for a way to get the club out in front of me; it’s just behind,â€� he explained. “And from a club that’s behind, you really only have one ball flight, and if you don’t pull that ball flight off, it can go pretty far offline. It’s something that you don’t really see professionals struggle with a lot. I’ve been trying to bring myself out of a little bit of a hole with it. “You know, it seems easy to just say cast it out in front, but unfortunately, it’s just not coming that easy to me. I’ll continue to work on it. It’s better than it was a couple months ago, which is better than it was a couple months before that. “So, it’s progressing, and on a golf coursethat’s this tight, it really tests my patience level and my zeroing in.â€� Casey, for one, was pleased to see the improvement in the three-time major champion’s game up close and personal. “Well, it’s always a joy playing with him,â€� he said. “I’m loving the fact he’s playing good golf again. He’s got a smile on his face, his ball-striking and his putting are back to what we’ve seen from Jordan through the years. “You know, may be a bit late for him to make a charge at like Wyndham Rewards, but he can be a force in the FedExCup as well if he gets it going. Yeah, he’s showing glimpses of the brilliance that he is.â€� Casey came to Greensboro looking to win for the second time this season and possibly move into to fourth in the FedExCup. He tied for third the last time he played the Wyndham Championship in 2015 and says he likes his approach on a Donald Ross classic that is holding its own despite 4 inches of rain in the last two nights. “I’m just going to do more of the same,â€� Casey said. “I’ve got a really good plan for this golf course, a really good strategy, and barring, touch wood, as long as we don’t get too much crazy weather coming in, going to try to execute that plan as I did the last two days. “Hopefully, get the speed of the putts a little bit better and make a few more birdies, and then try and figure out what everybody else is doing and attack on the last nine if I need to and try and win this thing.â€�

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