Sam Ryder wasn’t sure his neck would feel good enough for him to play Thursday in the Valero Texas Open. He found a swing and hardly missed a putt on his way to a 9-under 63 and a one-shot lead over Keith Mitchell in the final tournament before the Masters.

Mitchell played bogey-free in the morning for a 64, highlighted by a 3-wood from 286 yards that stopped rolling about 3 feet from the pin for a tap-in eagle on the par-5 eighth.

Former British Open champion Brian Harman had a 66.

Jordan Spieth, entertaining as ever, was in the group at 67. His round including a drive well right on the 17th on hard pan with a rock embedded about 4 inches behind his golf ball. He made clean contact and hit it to 12 feet and made the birdie putt.

Ryder, who has made the cut in all nine of his tournaments this year, had to withdraw from the pro-am Wednesday when he felt a twinge at the base of his neck. He stayed in his room and rested all day, then showed up at the course about three hours before his tee time to see if he could swing.

He could. And he could putt.

Ryder one-putted 11 of his last 12 holes, seven of them for birdie, including the final three. He holed a 25-foot putt on the 16th, a 12-footer on the 17th and then hit a wedge to a foot on the par-5 closing hole at the TPC San Antonio.

“I was just trying to get a feel for how I could swing,” Ryder said. “I think it helped me stay within myself today. I was just happy to be playing.”

Ryder would be among those who could go straight to the Masters next week if he were to win, something he has yet to do on the PGA Tour.

Mitchell isn’t in the Masters, either, and it has been six years since his lone PGA Tour victory. This was the third time this year Mitchell has opened with 65 or lower. It’s finishing it out that has been the problem.

“My game’s been trending,” he said. “I’d like to put some solid rounds together. Hopefully, it’s this week. I feel like my scores have been showing at least in the first couple rounds lately that my game’s where it needs to be and just going to try to stack ‘em all up this week.”

Harman has gone 15 straight tournaments without a top 10 dating to June, and he has only two other top 10s since his British Open victory at Hoylake in 2023. He’s on the verge of falling out of the top 50 in the world.

Max Homa, meanwhile, was in danger of missing another cut to extend his slump. He announced he has parted with caddie Joe Greiner, after leaving his swing coach last fall.

Woad looking for repeat at ANWA

Lottie Woad of England moved one round closer to becoming the first back-to-back winner of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, posting a 2-under 70 on Thursday to share the 36-hole lead with fast-closing Oregon sophomore Kiara Romero.

Woad, a junior at Florida State and the No. 1 player in the women’s amateur ranking, next heads to Augusta National for a practice round Friday and the final round Saturday. She takes with her plenty of experience, not only from having competed at the home of the Masters but having rallied to win on the final day.

Romero was dynamic, and she had to be after a rough stretch in the middle of her second nine holes. She crashed out of the lead with a double bogey on No. 4 and a bogey on No. 5, only to close with three straight birdies for a 68.

They were at 9-under 135 going into what should be a compelling final round with five players within two shots of the lead.

Carla Bernat Escuder of Spain had a 68 and was one shot behind, along with Andre Revuelta of Spain (66) and Megha Ganne, who had a shaky patch early and another bad hole late. She had a 73, 10 shots worse than her opening round, but was still very much in the mix.

The real drama came at the bottom. All 71 players get to play a practice round at Augusta National on Friday, but only the top 30 and ties make the cut to play in the final round.

Kelly Xu birdied her last hole to make it on the number. So did Ko Kurabayashi of Japan, who shot a 65 to advance to Saturday.

Emma McMyler fell below the cut line with a bogey on the 17th, only to birdie the 18th to make the cut at 1-under 143.