Masters champ Reed goes low to share lead
champion Patrick Reed putted a 12-footer for birdie on the last hole to match US compatriot Patrick Cantlay at seven-under 65 and share a three-shot lead after the opening round of the Hero World Challenge at the Albany Golf Course on Thursday. In tied second spot were Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson at fourunder 68.
Languishing at second from bottom in the 18-man field was Tiger Woods at one over 73. Defending champion Rickie Fowler was T13 at even par.
Reed, the only current Major winner in the field, birdied three of the last five holes, showing hardly any sign of tiredness after playing consecutive weeks in Dubai and Hong Kong.
On a day when the conditions was hardly challenging, with very little or no wind, Reed fired eight birdies and dropped a shot on the par-three eighth.
“When the wind dies down you have to attack this place, you have to score birdies. To kind of putt the way like I felt I did was very positive. Even though the wind was down, if you’re playing from a high window, then when the wind starts blowing, can you control your ball. I felt like I was able to play out of the windows. I needed to shoot a low one,” said Reed.
Cantlay, who with Jon Rahm is donating $500 for every birdie he makes here to help people affected by the recent devastation in California due to fires, played a bogey-free round and birdied five of the last six holes. Bubba Watson (69), Justin Rose (70) were the others to go bogeyfree.
ALBANY(BAHAMAS):Masters
BAD DAY FOR TIGER
Woods started with bogeys on the second and third. The disgust after missing the par putt on the third indicated it wasn’t going to be his day.
He then made consecutive birdies on the fifth and sixth to be even par, but his revival bid hit a hazard on the par-3 12th when he drifted left with the tee shot. The following chip to get back was short and the ball rolled back past into the water for a drop. He 65: Patrick Cantlay; Patrick Reed 68: Henrik Stenson;
Dustin Johnson
69: Alex Noren; Bubba Watson 70: Justin Thomas; Justin Rose;
Bryson DeChambeau
finally got the ball on the green but missed the putt for triple bogey.
Woods pulled it back a bit with birdies on the 15th and 18th which got him to T16 with Xander Schauffele at one-over.
Woods was suffering from a bout of cough in the build-up to the event which was now better, but said he was struggling with an old ankle injury due to “wear and tear”. It was his third overpar score in his last 21 rounds and the first 72-hole tournament he was playing since his win at the Tour Championship.
“I would like to hit the ball a bit closer than I did. Today (Thursday) was probably the easiest it’s going to be the entire week and I didn’t take advantage of these pretty benign conditions,” he said.