Reed builds 2-shot lead at Bethpage
Patrick Reed had a fast start and hung on at tough Bethpage Black for a 3-under 68 and a 2-shot lead at 8-under 134 at The Barclays in the FedEx Cup playoffs on Friday in Farmingdale, N.Y.
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Patrick Reed's place in the Ryder Cup is looking better with each round at The Barclays, and so are his prospects of winning. Even with a careless finish Friday at Bethpage Black, Reed rode a fast start to a 3-under 68 and a two-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo and Rickie Fowler going into the weekend of the opening FedEx Cup playoff event.
The Barclays is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots on the Ryder Cup team. Reed, who has gone 55 tournaments worldwide since his last victory, came into the week at No. 8. At the moment, that's no longer a concern.
“Really, I'm going into this week trying to win a golf tournament,” Reed said.
“If I take care of me and do what I need to do this week, then Ryder Cup will take care of itself. So I'm not going into this week looking at it as,O`h, I need to do this for the Ryder Cup.’ I'm going in this to thinkA, `ll right, I need to go win a golf tournament.’ ” Reed was at 8-under 134. Fowler mostly likely needs third place alone to have any chance of qualifying for the Ryder Cup, and he has done his part.
He played bogey-free in the sweltering heat, though still missing plenty of birdie chances. Par is never bad on the Black Course, however, and Fowler shot a 69.
He has dropped only one shot all week, missing a 4-foot par putt Thursday that spun out of the back of the cup.
“Any time you can go bogey-free out here at this place, it's good golf,” Fowler said. “Feel very good about my ball-striking and tee-togreen right now. See if we can get some more putts to go in.”
Grillo also had a 69, opening with a double bogey and finishing with a bogey.
Ryan Moore (68) was three shots behind while defending champion Jason Day (70) and Jordan Spieth (67) were four back. Day tied for the lead early in the round when he ran off four straight birdies on the easier front nine. But his tee shots got wild, he finished some swings with only one hand on the club, and he dropped four shots around the turn.
“I'm really looking forward to the weekend,” Day said. “I feel like I'm really close.”
Spieth missed the cut at The Barclays a year ago, and he started off Friday in that direction when his approach to the tough 10th buried in the lip of a deep bunker. Spieth had to play away from the green and made double bogey.
Jutanugarn hot
PRIDDIS, Alberta — Ariya Jutanugarn had five birdies in a six-hole stretch and shot an 8-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead in the Canadian Pacific Women's Open. A week after withdrawing from the Rio Olympics because of a left knee injury, the 20-year-old Thai star played 20 holes Friday at Priddis Greens. She bogeyed the par-5 18th for a 68 in the completion of the delayed first round, then made eight birdies in her bogey-free second round.
Tie at Boeing
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — U.S. Senior Open champion Gene Sauers eagled the par-5 18th hole for a 7-under 65 and a share of the Boeing Classic lead with Kirk Triplett. Coming off his breakthrough victory two weeks ago in Ohio, the 54-year-old Sauers played the four par-5 holes in 5 under with the eagle and three birdies. He won three times on the PGA Tour.
Triplett had five- and four-hole birdie streaks at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Also 54, he followed a bogey on the 11th — his second hole of the day — with five straight birdies and added a birdie on 18.