Bubba Watson and Brooks Koepka were nine shots behind.
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And his work is not over. That at least got him in range. No gap was closed and Spieth’s lead on the field actually extended by a shot. Rickie Fowler was six shots behind.
Spieth, who was at 24-under 195, wasn’t breathing easy just yet.
“It started to look like I was slapping it around a bit. Any time you can get into the company of him and other great players it’s a goal I’ve had since I was a little kid”. “I just felt like I had thrown two-and-a-half shots away on 3, 4 and 5 with where I was positioned”. I was glad to get that last putt into the hole to have a cushion going into tomorrow.
He had four birdies on the front nine at the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua.
Boosted by a 35-foot chip-in eagle at the par-five ninth, the Texan added seven birdies to post a 16-under 130 halfway total, with first round leader Patrick Reed (69), Kevin Kisner (65) and Fabian Gomez (66) tied for second on 12-under.
Reed, trying to join Stuart Appleby and Geoff Ogilvy as the only repeat winners at Kapalua, opened with three birdies in five holes and went out in 32.
It reminded him of the flop shot he played Saturday at Augusta National, the key shot that kept his big lead in a wire-to-wire victory in the Masters. Els won at Kapalua in 2003 with a record 31 under.
Then came a perfectly-timed shuttle ride from the fifth green to the sixth tee box.
Asked how he felt after matching 14-times major victor Woods with a seventh PGA Tour victory before the age of 23, Spieth replied: “I don’t think there’s any reason to compare”.
“I don’t know if I could have scored much better these first couple of days”. “It’s been spectacular this week”.
The new year starts with more of the same from the world No. 1 – a runaway win that had to frustrate all the world-class talent around Jordan Spieth, who became just the second player ever to get to 30-under par in a 72-hole PGA Tour event.
“I understand those comparisons are going to be there, and I hope they continue to be there because that means I’m playing golf at a very high level”. And he won or finished second in 13 of his 20 events on the PGA Tour.
The next target: 30 under. “That’s the way I’ll keep on thinking about it. It worked this week, all parts were firing”. “That would be a place I’ve never been”.
While the PGA Tour recognizes Woods’ achievement as its benchmark since its complete records began in 1970, a golfer from an earlier era – when pros competed alongside amateurs – had a statistically better achievement.
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Brandt Snedeker birdied two of the last four holes for a 67 to tie for third with fellow American Brooks Koepka (71) at 21-under.
