Jordan Spieth enters third round of Masters with slim lead

They’re still chasing Jordan Spieth. But this time, it’s a real race.

For the sixth consecutive round, the Texan holds the Masters Tournament lead, but just barely.

Spieth, the No. 2-ranked player in the world, struggled after what he called a “dream start” of 2-under through three holes to shoot 2-over-par 74 on Friday in a brutal second round at Augusta National Golf Club.

He will a carry a one-shot lead into the weekend over Rory McIlroy, the No. 3-ranked player and a four-time major champion.

“I have two more days to give it everything I have, and that’s what we’ll do, just to try and keep myself right on top,” Spieth said.

The 22-year-old Spieth, a two-time major champ who opened with 66, is at 4-under 140.

McIlroy, who needs a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam at age 26, birdied Nos. 13, 15 and 16 on the back nine and made a great scrambling par on No. 18 to shoot 71.

Danny Lee (74 on Friday) and Scott Piercy (72) are tied for third place, two shots back. Brandt Snedeker (72), Soren Kjeldsen (74) and Hideki Matsuyama (72) are three back.

Top-ranked Jason Day (72-73) is tied for 15th place, five shots off Spieth’s pace. In all, 21 players are within five shots of Spieth.

The starting field of 89 was trimmed to 57 players after the cut, which fell at 6-over-par 150, four shots higher than last year.

Last year at this time, Spieth had broken the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record with rounds of 64-66 and carried a five-shot lead into the weekend. He led by four after 54 holes and won by that margin.

This year, he was not as sharp in the second round, plus the weather and course conditions are tougher. On Friday, Spieth needed 30 putts (including two three-putt greens) and hit just 10 of 18 greens in regulation. He had 25 putts Thursday when he shot 66.

The playing conditions, with the flags on the pins flapping wildly in the gusty winds and the greens getting faster as the day went on, were so difficult that no player shot in the 60s for only the second time ever in a second round. It was also the first round since 2007 in which no player broke 70. The scoring average was a hefty 75.022.

Amateur Bryson DeChambeau was on track to be the lone player to break 70, standing at 3-under through 17 holes. But he made triple bogey on No. 18 to finish at 72. He’s in a seven-way tie for eighth place, four shots off the lead.

“I think anything under par today is a good day,” said McIlory, who was one of four players to break par with 71, the day’s lowest score.

“It was tough; it was very tough,” Spieth said. “We were trying to adjust with ever-gusting and changing winds. It just was a really difficult day to score.”

Spieth was animated when shots didn’t carry like he expected, especially on the 10th hole, where his approach came up short. He then hit a poor chip, leading to a bogey. It was his second bogey in a row and dropped him to 2-over for the day. He had two more bogeys on the back nine (Nos. 16 and 17) and one birdie, and he kept his lead by making a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole.

“I was a bit disappointed – 2-over on the last three holes will leave you that way,” Spieth said. “(We’re going) to go out tomorrow, pretend it’s a new golf tournament and try and beat the field from here on in.”

Spieth did admit the putt he made on No. 18 made him “smile walking off the green versus wondering how you just went bogey, bogey, bogey. There’s definitely a difference maker there.”

The 74 was Spieth’s first over-par round in his 10 times around Augusta National. He had been 29-under for his first nine rounds.

McIlroy and Spieth will be paired together Saturday, going off at 2:50 p.m.

“Yeah, it will be a fun round tomorrow,” Spieth said. “We enjoy playing with each other. We’ve both played well. We’ve both played poorly. Just both seem to be on our games right now and obviously really focused on this week with a lot of fantastic players behind us.”

Spieth jokingly said that “I’d rather be playing with someone less threatening, to be honest. He’s certainly proven himself in majors. But I think it’s going to be fun, a really fun challenge.”