Jordan Spieth makes the cut, barely, at Valspar Championship

Jordan Spieth holed three shots from off the green and made the cut with one shot to spare Friday in the Valspar Championship.

Now he has to figure out how to catch up to Steve Stricker and Will MacKenzie.

Stricker, playing for only the fifth time this year, holed out from the 10th fairway for eagle and made a 60-foot birdie putt across the fourth green for a five-under-par 66 that gave him a share of the lead with MacKenzie, who had a 67.

They were at five-under 137, one shot ahead of Bill Haas (67), Graham DeLaet (66) and Daniel Berger (68).

Spieth is just happy to be joining them. He opened with a 76 and was in danger of missing the cut, especially when the wind began to pick up just as he was starting his second round on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook.

And then he hooked his tee shot on the par-five opening hole into a bush, had to take a penalty shot and made bogey on the easiest hole on the course.

“I’m walking off that green going, `Oh, boy. We can either somehow flip this one around today or … I don’t want that to be the key of me not being able to be here for the weekend.’ I thought it was really strong what we did after that,” he said.

Nearly five hours later, after he nearly holed a bunker shot on the 17th to save par, Spieth exhaled on the 18th tee and said with a smile, “This was grinding today. I’ve got some good stuff coming on the weekend.”

He wound up with a 68 and was at two-over 144 to make the cut by one shot. That’s all he was thinking about until he chipped in from behind the green on the 15th for a birdie, and his tee shot on the 16th narrowly cleared the water.

It was hard work, and there is plenty left.

More than just trying to make up seven shots on the weekend, he had 42 players in front of him.

Hend, Edbert tied for lead at Thailand Classic

Scott Hend took a share of the lead alongside Pelle Edberg by shooting an eight-under 64 in the second round of the Thailand Classic.

The Australian, who was the runner-up last year, is tied with Edberg at 12-under 132 overall. He had six birdies and an eagle at the Black Mountain Golf Course in Hua Hin.

Edberg (67) carded seven birdies and two bogeys.

Panuphol Pittayarat (65) was a stroke behind in third, while first-round leader Peter Uihlein (71) is three shots off the lead.

Defending champion Andrew Dodt shot a second straight 73, failing to the make the cut at 142.