Palmer, Garcia share the lead at Byron Nelson

Palmer and Garcia shared the second-round lead at 8-under 132 after a sun-soaked round Friday when the wind was gusting.

Garcia posted his second consecutive 4-under 66, after withdrawing after five holes in a British Open qualifier and passing up a practice round at TPC Four Seasons because of an infected fingernail on his left hand.

After a bogey at the 523-yard par-4 third hole when his approach flew over the green, Garcia birdied three of the next four holes and was bogey-free the rest of his round. Despite the windy conditions, he hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens.

"You would be happy with those stats on a day with not much wind," Garcia said.

There also were some impressive shots along the way for Garcia. The 31-year-old Spaniard blasted out of a greenside bunker to seven feet to save par at No. 14, then had a 45-foot chip-in birdie at the 15th hole when he couldn't putt because of three sprinkler heads in the way. Walking into the stiff wind the rest of the way, he had pars on the last three holes.

Palmer shot a 67. He had made the cut only once his seven previous appearances at the Nelson with nine consecutive rounds over par before this week when caddie James Edmondson is calling his shots.

"He's never played good here and we finally decided that I was going to take over and just lead the horse around the ranch," Edmondson said.

With input from instructor Randy Smith, Edmondson is telling Palmer where to hit off the tee and what to do with his approach shots. The arrangement is working so far. Palmer opened with a 65 Thursday before what was maybe a more impressive round with only one bogey in difficult conditions.

"I keep surprising myself how calm I am when it's that way. ... This is a golf course that I've struggled on so it's nice to not to think about it, just get up and hit the shot, and if I don't hit the shots it's on me," Palmer said. "So it's nice to be free-swinging like that."

Tim Petrovic (66) and Scott Piercy (69) were three strokes back at 5 under. Nick Watney (68), Joe Ogilvie (70) and Chad Collins (69) followed at 4 under.

For the second year in a row, area amateur teenager Jordan Spieth made the cut. After his 2-under 68 Friday, he was in a group of six players at 3 under.

The 17-year-old Spieth is going to be late for his high school graduation ceremony Saturday, if he makes it at all. The ceremony starts at 4 p.m. local time, at an auditorium on the SMU campus about 20 miles from TPC Four Seasons. Spieth is scheduled to tee off at 11:21 a.m. local time. Because diplomas are handed out in alphabetical order, Spieth figures that will at least buy him some extra time.

"Depending upon how the day goes, hopefully it goes well enough that I'll be in (the interview room) again, but I'm going to shoot over there as quickly as possible," said Spieth, who tied for 16th at this tournament a year ago. "We'll see what happens. I'm definitely going to shoot over there as fast as possible."

Last year, Spieth became the sixth-youngest player to make the cut at a PGA Tour event. If he can somehow produce a win on Sunday, he would become the youngest winner in at least 111 years and possibly the youngest winner since Tom Morris Jr., who won the 1868 British Open at age 17.

"I want to win," he said. "If I can play a little better than today, get a couple more breaks, then I think I can legit have a good run, being in the last couple of groups. I don't know what that kind of pressure is going to feel like but that's what I'm shootin' for."

A win on Sunday would also earn Spieth invitations into this year's PGA Championship, next year's Masters and the Players Championship.

First-round leader Jeff Overton followed his opening 64 with a 74 that including consecutive bogeys to end his round.

Mike Weir missed the cut by one stroke, marking the ninth time in 10 events this year he has not played on the weekend. However, his two day total of 144 (74-70) is his best showing of the season and marks the second straight tournament he has managed to get under 150 in two rounds.

Matt McQuillan (73) of Kingston, Ont., and David Hearn (74) of Brampton, Ont., also missed the cut. For McQuillan, it's his eighth straight missed cut while Hearn is not playing the weekend for only the second time in his last five starts.

Chris Baryla of Vernon, B.C., had three bogeys and a double bogey through his first six holes on his way to a 77. He is still looking for his first cut in nine PGA events this year.

Calgary's Stephen Ames shot a 12-over 82 in which he played the final five holes in eight over par - two bogeys and three double bogeys. The 82 is his worst second round score since last year's U.S. Open when he shot 84 and marks the fourth time in the last four events he's missed the cut.

Seventy-four players made the cut at 3 over. Right on that mark was defending champion Jason Day (71).

Palmer had his only bogey at the 503-yard, par-4 15th hole when he missed the green with his approach and then two-putted from 17 feet. With the wind really starting to pick up he parred out, using a five-wood for the second consecutive day at No. 18, where he had a 25-foot birdie attempt just slide by the cup.

"I thought I was going to hit driver today and (Edmondson) pulls that five-wood. 'What am I going to do, hit five-wood? Five-wood?"' Palmer said. "And he goes. 'Let's practice for the British Open. Hit the five-wood hard, you can hit,' and I did that. Hit a perfect five-iron to the middle of the green."

Garcia, the 2004 Nelson champion, hasn't won a tournament since 2008.

"When I'm feeling good, even in windy conditions like today, I feel like I can control the ball flight and I can hit some good, solid shots," Garcia said. "It's going to be tough out there. I just need to make sure that I stay positive and just try to trust myself as much as I can."