Jordan Spieth makes Saturday charge at John Deere Classic

SILVIS, Ill. - With apologies to Mark Jackson, and whoever coined the phrase before the longtime NBA color commentator made it his trademark, “Mama, there goes that man!”

Inevitably, Jordan Spieth putting bounce into the John Deere Classic leaderboard is a slam dunk. And, in his first time back since his second John Deere win in 2015, Spieth did it again Saturday, lighting up TPC Deere Run with birdies on six of his first eight holes to turn in 29.

Only a 13th-hole bogey following his second muffed pitch shot in as many days marred a Moving Day round of 8-under 63. Now, there that man is again, in position to work some Sunday magic in the Quad Cities.

“Tomorrow, if I can be as solid as I was today and maybe catch a couple extra breaks …,” Spieth said, leaving it to history – and, perhaps, Sunday – to finish the sentence. “It would take something extremely flawless to have a chance, but I'll try and do what I did today.”

Spieth’s round of 63 carried him past nearly half of the 77 weekend survivors at this low-scoring John Deere. With dozens of players still on the course, it seemed likely to earn a top-15 standing by day’s end and a chance to replicate the fast-closing fun that twice carried him to the winner’s circle early in his star-lit career.

Starting more than three hours ahead of the leaders, eight shots off the midway pace after making the cut with just a shot to spare, Spieth charged up the leaderboard with five straight birdies from Nos. 4-8. He reached 8-under for day with birdies on two of his first three holes on the back nine, then got the lost shot at 13 back – and nearly one more – with an 33-foot eagle putt to inside an inch for a tap-in birdie at the par-5 17th.

“I thought it was a solid round,” he said. “It felt a lot better than being 7-under through 16, and it felt like a weird disappointment at that point. So, it was nice to hit two beautiful shots and be half a roll from getting an eagle there.”

Memorably, Spieth trailed by five and four shots, respectively, with six holes to play in his two John Deere wins, so no Sunday starting deficit may be too large to overcome.

“I would just like to improve on my back-nine score from today,” he said. “So that’s something as I make the turn, regardless of what I do on the front, I’ll be standing there thinking ‘Man, I want to shoot the 4-under I felt like I should have shot (Saturday).’"

Or better?

“Yeah, the last few holes can yield some trouble,” he said. “Guys can play them 1-over, and that’s what happened in my wins to some of the guys I was going against. You can also be 3- or 4-under on them. It’s a cool, unique (finishing) stretch, kind of like we play at Hartford where you can see some crazy runs of good stuff if you’re coming from behind. If you’re in the lead, you’ve got to be prepared for that.”

Certainly, if “that man” is on the leaderboard and within range, the leaders will notice.

“It’s a little easier to be aggressive sometimes,” he said of TPC Deere Run’s closing holes. “I imagine that is what I will have to be.”