Spieth Leads "Return of Number 1"... Kim Siwoo 'Cut Off'

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Day 2: Adding 5 Under Par to Lead by One Stroke, Burger in 2nd Place 'Chasing Battle'

Jordan Spieth is taking a shot on the 4th hole during the second day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Pebble Beach, California, USA = Getty Images / Multivitz

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "The return of the number 1."

Jordan Spieth (USA) rose to a one-stroke lead (12-under 132) on the second day of the PGA Tour AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (total prize money $7.8 million) held on the 13th (Korean time) at Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California (par 72, 7,041 yards). Daniel Berger (USA) surged with a 6-under round at Pebble Beach Golf Links (par 72, 7,051 yards) to take second place (11-under 133), and Henrik Norlander (Sweden) is in third place (10-under 134).

Spieth drew attention as the 'post-Tiger' after winning the US Junior Amateur twice. In fact, when he won his first title at the John Deere Classic in July 2013, he set a new milestone as the first teenage champion (19 years, 11 months, 18 days) in 82 years since Ralph Guldahl (Santa Monica Open, 1931). He has a total of 11 wins including 3 majors, with 2015 being a highlight year. He swept 5 wins that season, including back-to-back majors at the Masters in April and the US Open in June.

He won 2 times in 2016 and 3 times in 2017. It is surprising that Spieth has been without a title for four years since The Open in July 2017. However, last week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he fired a 10-under round on the third day, signaling a comeback. In this tournament, he shot 7-under on the first day and added 5-under today, boasting a green hit rate of 77.78% with his 'pinpoint iron shots.' Most notably, his main weapon, his 'stingy putting,' has been showing great power. Over two days, he averaged 1.60 putts per hole.

Patrick Cantlay (USA), who led the previous day, faltered by one stroke at Spyglass Hill and dropped to a tie for fourth place (9-under 135). Among Koreans, Kang Sung-hoon (34, CJ Logistics) is the only one remaining, sitting tied for 37th (3-under 141). Kim Si-woo (26, CJ Logistics), the American Express champion, was hampered by a triple bogey on the 12th hole (par 3). 'Tank' Choi Kyung-ju (51, SK Telecom), No Seung-yeol (31), and Bae Sang-moon (35) were all cut along with him.

Kim Si-woo is taking a shot on the 12th hole during the second day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Pebble Beach, California, USA = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

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