Spieth takes share of Phoenix lead

Schauffele tied for first heading into final round, Conners tied for 25th

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—A day after saying he needed to be patient about results, Jordan Spieth shot a 10-under 61 on Saturday for a share of the lead in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He then repeated himself.

“What I’m looking forward to is just staying the course, trusting it,” Spieth said.

“I have no expectations on the results tomorrow. I really don’t.”

Winless since the 2017 British Open, Spieth was tied with Xander Schauffele at 18-under 196.

“I built some freedom now seeing these results the first few days here to where I feel really good about the path I’m on,” Spieth said. “I feel good about what the long term ahead looks like for me. And sometimes that’s been in question. To myself.”

The 27-year-old Texan is trying recapture the form that carried him to 11 PGA Tour victories — three of them majors — in his first five seasons on the tour.

“I just felt like I stayed really, really patient and struck the ball well,” Spieth said. “Just tried to hit it to the fat parts of the greens when I was out of position and try and attack when I could.”

He raised the volume on the back nine at the mostly empty TPC Scottsdale, drawing the biggest roar of the week from the limited crowd on the par-3 16th when he curled in a 36footer for birdie and the outright lead.

Corey Conners, of Listowel, Ont., shot a 3-under 68 and was tied for 25th at 8 under. Adam Hadwin, of Abbottsford, B.C., was tied for 61st at 3 under after a 73.

Instead of the usual Saturday crowd that has topped 200,000 in recent years, attendance is capped at 5,000 a day — the most for a tour event during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I told Michael (caddie Greller) the only downside of the birdie putt on 16 is that it would have been arguably the loudest roar I’ve ever had if it were last year,” Spieth said. “But it was still loud.”

He followed with a 30-footer for birdie on 17 after driving well left on the short par 4.

“All of a sudden today when you kind of get in the thick of things and the crowd was feeding off and really willing those putts in with me, it actually kind of felt like nothing had happened,” Spieth said.