Reed strengthens hold on Masters
Augusta, US - Patrick Reed fired two late eagles on a rain-softened Augusta National course to seize a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy after the third round of the Masters on Saturday.
Reed's five-under par 67 for a 14-under total of 202 through 54 holes was his third straight round in the 60s and more than enough to keep him atop the leaderboard in search of his first major title, even as McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm all posted seven-under par 65s.
"I think the biggest thing is just going out and playing golf, trying not to let the moment overwhelm me," said Reed, who notched his first top-ten at a major last August at the PGA Championship.
"I feel like I'm hitting the ball well enough, I feel like I'm putting well enough. I just need to go out and play the game."
Reed certainly did that, his four birdies including three in a row at the eighth, ninth and tenth after McIlroy had pitched in for eagle at the eighth to pull level.
McIlroy, who can complete a career Grand Slam with a first Masters win, was alone in second on 205 with Fowler third on 207 and world No 3 Rahm on 208 after a day when threatened thunderstorms failed to materialise. Instead, intermittent showers only served to make Augusta's treacherous greens a little more benign.
"A great day," McIlroy said. "I rode my luck a little bit out there. You know, the chip-in on the eighth hole, finding my ball in the azaleas on 13.
"Then hitting the tree on 18 and coming back in the fairway and making a birdie from that - hopefully I don't have to rely on it too much tomorrow."
Spain's Rahm, 23, also played without a bogey and was one stroke in front of former British Open champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who carded a 70 for 209.
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson posted a 68 to share sixth on 210 with England's Tommy Fleetwood and Australian Marc Leishman.
Fleetwood's 66 included five straight birdies on the back nine while Leishman, who entered the day trailing Reed by two, had just one bogey in his one-over 73.
Frustration for Woods
Four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods was left spinning his wheels on Moving Day.
The 14-time major champion, who insisted as he set out to close a 13-shot deficit on Saturday that he was looking for a "special weekend", opened with back-to-back bogeys on the way to a 72.
Woods, back at Augusta for the first time in three years, hit four-of-14 fairways but said his real problem continued to be poor iron play.
"It has been scratchy this week. I'm not getting it done. My swing is just off with my irons," said Woods, who admitted he now had his sights set just on trying to get to even par for the tournament on Sunday.