Jordan Spieth regroups for 1-over 72, keeps Grand Slam hopes alive

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jordan Spieth felt he was on the verge of shooting himself out of the PGA Championship.

Instead of looking at his scorecard, he considered what he had left to play at Quail Hollow.

Playing the front nine last, he had gunned his putt from just short of the fifth green about 10 feet by the hole and missed that one for bogey.

At that point, he looked a lot closer to a weekend off than the final leg of the career Grand Slam.

When the green cleared, he ripped a hybrid from 246 yards over the water and onto the green, where it settled 30 feet away on the fringe to set up a two-putt birdie.

A solid par on his last hole allowed Spieth to escape with a 1-over-par 72.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, a 23-time Olympic gold medalist who knows a thing or two about performing at his best under crushing pressure, spent Thursday following Spieth around Quail Hollow.

Phelps, an avid golfer, struck up a friendship with Spieth last year in Phoenix through their mutual sponsor, Under Armour.