Jordan Spieth won’t be teeing off for the third round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass Stadium course on Saturday. Instead, he’ll be reluctantly present as he prepares to head over to the Valspar Championship on the opposite side of the state, likely departing Sunday night.
“I can’t stand staying at a place where I just missed the cut,” Spieth remarked following a 72 that left him three strokes adrift of the projected 36-hole cut. “But the practice facilities here are good, and I’ll do that. Missing is such a bad gauge of where I’m at.”
Ranked 14th globally, Spieth finds himself amidst an unusual streak. He faced disqualification at the Genesis Invitational, landed a tied 30th spot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, and recently endured the unfortunate incident of breaking his driver over the weekend.
Dissatisfied with its replacement, he struggled to a 74 in the opening round and spent two hours on the range Thursday afternoon attempting to rectify the issue. However, it wasn’t enough to secure him a spot for the weekend.
While the second round’s conclusion was marred by darkness, the cutline was set at 1-under-par 143.
Former tournament champion Webb Simpson narrowly missed the mark, failing to sink a 6-footer for birdie on his final hole, leaving him at even par after a bogey at the 8th hole. Justin Thomas, the 2021 titleholder, also fell short, posting a 74 following an opening 71, with early bogeys sealing his fate.
Like Spieth, Thomas will be heading to the Valspar Championship. Nick Dunlap, who turned pro after winning the American Express Championship in January as an amateur, endured his third missed cut in five starts since his victory.
Justin Rose hovered on the cut line at 1 under until a double ball-in-water incident at the notorious 17th hole dashed his hopes. Additionally, Will Zalatoris, who contended last weekend, saw himself out of the running after posting scores of 73-75.
