PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Jordan Spieth just wanted to keep pace with his partner Thursday at Innisbrook Resort. Paired with two-time Valspar Championship defending champion Sam Burns for the first round, Spieth knew if he kept up with Burns, he’d be off to a good start.
“When you’re playing with Sam, you kind of know what the standard is out here, so ... if you beat him, you probably beat everybody else based on the last couple years,” Spieth said. “So it’s fun to watch him kind of work shots around this place, especially roll it on these greens.”
The former world No.1 and three-time major winner did better. Spieth shot 4-under-par 67 on the Copperhead Course to put himself in a tie for fourth heading into Friday’s second round. Spieth, Lucas Glover, and Maverick McNealy all finished a shot behind leaders Ryan Brehm, who had a hole-in-one on the 17th, Adam Schenk and Stephan Jaeger, who shot 66 despite having his caddy forget one of his clubs on the 15th hole.
