Crowd chasing Reed

Johnson in hunt in return from injury

Patrick Reed birdied his final two holes for a 5-under 67 to take the lead Saturday at the Wells Fargo Championship in Wilmington, N.C., but not by much.

With one round remaining at Eagle Point, the tournament remains wide open, even for Dustin Johnson.

Reed stuffed a short iron into 4 feet on No. 17 and reached the 580-yard 18th hole in two for a two-putt birdie, giving him a one-shot lead over Jon Rahm of Spain and Alex Noren of Sweden.

The scores have been so tight that when the cut was made Saturday morning because of a three-hour rain delay, only seven shots separated the 36-hole leader from the players who made the cut on the number.

One of those who narrowly made the cut was Johnson, playing for the first time since a slip down the stairs bruised his back and knocked the world’s No. 1 player out of the Masters. Johnson made a pair of bogeys late in the second round for a 75 that ended his streak of 13 consecutive rounds at par or better.

He wasn’t making up much ground Saturday until hitting it close enough for tap-ins and ended with a 10-foot birdie putt that gave him a 67. He was four shots behind, along with Phil Mickelson.

Seventeen players were within four shots of the lead.

“Normally, a couple guys separate themselves from the pack, but it’s just going to mean it’s going to be more fun on Sunday,” Reed said.

Other tournaments

Insperity Invitational: John Daly shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Kenny Perry in the PGA Tour Champions event. The 51-year-old Daly is trying to win for the first time on the senior tour — and for the first time since the PGA Tour’s 2004 Buick Invitational. Daly said he’s got a putter “that I absolutely love, and I’m rolling it really good, and you never know, next week it may not show up, but I like the way I’m rolling this putter.”

Lorena Ochoa Match Play: Michelle Wie rallied to beat Angel Yin on Saturday to join Ariya Jutanugarn, Sei Young Kim and Mi Jung Hur in the semifinals. Four down after 11 holes at Club de Golf Mexico, Wie twice rallied to tie Yin and won with a birdie on the par-5 20th hole. Wie next plays Kim, a 5-and-4 winner over Karine Icher.