Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler atop Hero World Challenge sending Big 12 title ‘mojo’

A pair of Texas Longhorns have shot to the top of the leaderboard at the Hero World Challenge.

Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth sit at 9-under par through 36 holes after each Longhorn played admirably on Friday.

“I drove it well, gave myself a lot of chances,” Scheffler said.

“That’s probably the thing I did best. Then, for the most part, I kept a clean card. I got a bad break on No. 8, made a bogey, and then got in a weird spot there on 18, but outside of that, I played pretty solid.”

Scheffler did indeed play solid, carding a 6-under 66. His round Friday included five birdies on the back nine.

Spieth, meanwhile, made five birdies in all, but unlike Thursday’s round, the three-time major champion played a clean round Friday. He did not record a single bogey, shooting a 5-under 67.

“I hit a couple of good ones early, and I just decided to continue to trust and focus on really just trying to hit the center of the face with intent on the shot,” Spieth said.

“Just basic stuff, but stuff that you can get a little mentally rusty if you’re not really dialed in on it.”

Tiger Woods also touched on his rusty mental game, which is a common theme among many players at the Hero World Challenge. Many of the players in this field have not played since the Ryder Cup, and they use this week as a final tune-up before the PGA Tour officially kicks off in early January in Hawaii.

But Spieth and Scheffler have played better than anyone else.

Now, they hope their strong play continues into the weekend. But they will also root for their beloved Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship game.

“Hopefully, it will be good mojo for the guys,” Scheffler said of his alma mater.

Texas faces Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas, at Noon ET on Saturday.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.