Jordan Spieth misses the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, becomes first 18-hole leader to do so since Matt Every
In a shocking turn of events, Jordan Spieth failed to make the cut after the conclusion of Round 2 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. What happened to Jordan Spieth at Waialae Country Club was something rare and unexpected as it happened to any player for the first time since Matt Every in 2020.
Every was the last player to miss the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after leading in the first round.
First-round co-leader Jordan Spieth misses the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, becoming the first 18-hole leader/co-leader to do so since Matt Every at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.
Spieth finished the round 2 with disappointing 75, 5 over. He could only hit just 6 fairways. The former No. 1 hit just one birdie compared to six bogeys, which led to a massive deficit.
"Just a bad day": Jordan Spieth
“It was just a bad day,” Jordan Spieth said after a disappointing Friday. Spieth said it didn't feel to him that he was doing much differently.
"I feel like I was on a really bad deck of cards today. I made a couple bad swings off the tee but other than that I didn’t play that different. I just ended up a foot into the rough here, or right behind a tree here."
Spieth also accepted that he didn't drive well.
On the ninth hole of par 5, Spieth's tee shot hit the cart path due to the wind and then went into the water. At the 10th hole, his tee shot fell into the greenside bunker.
“I didn’t think I could reach the bunker and it kind of went to where the slope meets the flat, and I’ve never shanked a bunker shot, I hit the hosel, but there wasn’t much of a play.”, Spieth explained what happened.
“I’ve never led a tournament and missed the cut before,” Spieth knew what he had done.
Chris Kirk leads at Sony Open after two rounds
It was a day to forget for Jordan Spieth. Meanwhile, Chris Kirk continued his good run at the Sony Open. He shot an impressive 5 under in round 2 at Waiʻalae Country Club.
Kirk finished runner-up two years back at the Sony Open. Before that, he was on a break due to his struggles with depression and alcohol. He got a medical extension but Hawaii was his final chance to retain a full Tour Card. He saved his Tour card with a tied second finish at Waiʻalae Country Club.
"It's so difficult to be great at this game professionally in the mental side. I don't know if I did a good job today or not, but thankfully did on the back nine. I always remind myself that pressure is a privilege when you start feeling a little bit of nerves." said Chris Kirk while reflecting on his game.
He was followed by Taylor Montgomery and J.J. Spaun with a score of 4 under in the second round. Spaun was in the lead until the last hole when he shot a bogey only to fall short behind Kirk.
Spaun hasn't lost hope yet and he still believes he can win the title here.