Jordan Spieth takes Byron Nelson lead

Jordan Spieth moved to the top of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson leaderboard on Friday after turning a quiet opening round into the tournament’s biggest charge so far. The Dallas-area native followed a 3-under 68 on Thursday with a bogey-free 62 in the second round at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, the PGA Tour said. Spieth’s round featured six consecutive birdies, a streak that tied a career best, according to PGA Tour coverage. As the afternoon wave remained on the course, the cut line and the lead were still shifting. ### How did Spieth go from the middle of the pack to the top? Spieth began Friday tied for 47th after his opening 68, then made his move with six straight birdies to start his back nine, which is the front side at TPC Craig Ranch. The run pushed him from the edge of the early conversation into the outright lead among players already in the clubhouse or near the finish, PGA Tour and Golfweek reported. (pgatour.com) The PGA Tour said Spieth’s second round was his lowest on tour in roughly a year. Spieth told the tour he quickly added up what the score might have been without a few missed chances and said, “I think it was 57,” after the 62. ### What was happening with the cut line as Spieth finished? (pgatour.com) The PGA Tour leaderboard showed the projected cut line at 6 under during the second round on Friday. The Byron Nelson uses the standard PGA Tour format in which the top 65 players and ties advance to the weekend. The Palm Beach Post’s live cut tracker said several notable names were in danger as the field played through the second round, including defending champion Scottie Scheffler. (pgatour.com) Because the afternoon groups were still on the course, that number remained unsettled rather than final. (pgatour.com) ### Why is TPC Craig Ranch part of the story this week? TPC Craig Ranch arrived at this year’s event after a renovation project that followed Scheffler’s record-tying 31-under victory in 2025. The Jefferson City News-Tribune reported that former major champion Lanny Wadkins led a two-year redesign intended to make the course a stiffer test. (msn.com) Golfweek reported Friday that lower scores were still showing up despite those changes. The outlet said weather and course setup were still allowing players to attack, even after the redesign aimed to prevent another winning score near 30 under par. (newstribune.com) ### Where did Scheffler stand in all of this? Scheffler entered the week as defending champion after winning by eight shots last year at TPC Craig Ranch. PGA Tour preview coverage listed Scheffler and Spieth among the central names in the field for the May 21-24 event in Texas. (golfweek.usatoday.com) Friday’s live cut coverage put Scheffler near the line as Spieth was climbing. That left the hometown event with two parallel storylines: Spieth charging toward the top and Scheffler still needing to secure a weekend tee time. ### What comes next before the tournament settles? (pgatour.com) Round 2 continues Friday in McKinney, with the leaderboard and cut line still moving as later groups finish. The PGA Tour’s event page lists the tournament running through Sunday, May 24, at TPC Craig Ranch, where Spieth, Scheffler and the rest of the field are playing for weekend position before the final two rounds. (pgatour.com) (msn.com)