REED READY TO MAKE HISTORY IN DUBAI

CAPTAIN AMERICA Patrick Reed is on target to become the first US golfer to win the Race to Dubai after surging into the halfway lead at the DP World Tour Championship.

Reed (far right), who led the European Tour standings heading into the concluding event, tore up Dubai’s Earth Course with a 64 yesterday to take a two-stroke lead into the weekend. The world

No.11 has won four out of the last five tournaments in which he has held the solo lead after the second round.

“I feel great, going out and shooting an eightunder-par round and getting myself into double digits by the end of two rounds,” said Reed, who sits at 10 under.

“I gave myself a lot of chances, I hit it close on a lot of holes and I was able to free up the putter and make some putts.

“I know that if I win the tournament, I end up winning the Race to Dubai.” Three shots off the pace after the first round, Reed raced to the turn in five under par with some superb iron play and sharp putting. A dropped shot at the 12th could have been compounded at the next hole when he went out of position.

But a terrific up and down saved par and he closed out in style with the three birdies in his last four holes.

Sheffield’s Matt Fitzpatrick leads the pursuing pack after his second successive 68 having squeezed a birdie out of a near-splashdown at the penultimate hole. “We were laughing that it was a fivenet-two really,” said Fitzpatrick (left).

“I felt this year we’ve not had the best of luck, so it’s nice to have it for a change. I’ve just got to make sure to use it to my advantage and kick on over the weekend.”

TOM WEISKOPF, 78, who won The Open at Troon in 1973, has revealed he is fighting pancreatic cancer.