Saturday 12 March 2016 17:47, UK
Jordan Spieth battled through the cut at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook, where Steve Stricker and Will MacKenzie share the halfway lead.
World No 1 Spieth left himself a lot of work to do on Friday, after opening the tournament with a five-over 76, but he improved that score by eight shots to move within seven shots of the leading pair.
Spieth's task was made tougher when he dropped a shot at the opening hole, a wayward drive meaning him dropping out of trouble and carding an ugly six.
But he would drop only one more shot, that coming at the eighth, which meant his five birdies were more than enough to make it into the weekend.
That does not quite tell the whole story, though, as on three occasions - on five, seven and 15 - Spieth holed from off the green for birdies.
Scoring proved tough for Thursday's leaders, with none of the first-round top four able to break par and Keegan Bradley playing himself out of the tournament completely.
Bradley had three double bogeys and dropped a further four shots in a round of 79 which dropped him to four-over, one shot adrift of the cut mark.
At the top of the leaderboard, Stricker - who only plays a limited schedule these days - produced some superb golf to make it round in 66, the joint best score of the day matched by Graham DeLaet and George McNeill.
Stricker made the turn at one under but then made the shot of the day when he holed his approach to the 10th from the middle of the fairway for an eagle.
Further birdies came at the 14th and 16th, the last of those moving him into a tie for the lead alongside MacKenzie.
The American journeyman made the most of placid early conditions to post four birdies on his front nine and, although he dropped a shot at the long 11th, MacKenzie closed with a birdie to complete a round of 67.
DeLaet improved 43 places up the leaderboard into a tie for third, with his round of 66 including five birdies and an eagle, and he was joined on four under by late finishers Daniel Berger and Bill Haas.
Berger looked set to make it a three-way tie at the top but dropped a shot at the last, in contrast to Haas who produced a sublime approach to the 18th and converted a birdie.
The group on three under includes Retief Goosen, who carded a 69, and the best of the first-round leaders, Charles Howell III, who signed for a 72 after opening with a 67.
