Spieth fires 61 to share lead in Phoenix

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A day after saying he needed to be patient about results, Jordan Spieth matched his career best with a 10-under-par 61 on Saturday for a share of a threeshot, third-round Waste Management Phoenix Open lead with Xander Schauffele.

Winless since the 2017 British Open, Spieth is trying recapture the form that carried him to 11 PGA Tour victories — including three majors — in his first five tour seasons.

The 27-year-old Texan raised the volume at TPC Scottsdale, drawing the week’s biggest roar from the limited crowd on the par-3 16th when he curled in a 36-footer for birdie and the outright lead.

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

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

The fourth-ranked Schauffele, coming off a second-place tie last week at Torrey Pines, shot a 65 to match Spieth at 18-under 196.

Scottie Scheffler and Kyoung-Hoon Lee each shot 66 to get to 15 under. Third-ranked Justin Thomas (64), third the past two years in the event, joined Louis Oosthuizen (63) at 14 under.

Steve Stricker, the 53-year-old U.S. Ryder Cup captain trying to become the oldest winner in PGA Tour history, had a 69 to drop into a tie for seventh at 13 under with Brooks Koepka (66) and James Hahn (66). Stricker began the day a stroke behind Schauffele.

■ European PGA: At King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia, top-ranked Dustin Johnson, seeking his second Saudi International win in three years, shot 4-under 66 for a 13-under 197 total to take a twostroke lead into the final round. Victor Perez (66) was alone in second.