Reed builds two-stroke lead at Barclays
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-par 68 and a twoshot lead over Emiliano Grillo and Rickie Fowler going into the weekend of the opening FedEx Cup playoff event. GOLF
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,” said Reed, who was at 8-under 134. “If I take care of me and do what I need to do this week, then Ryder Cup will take care of itself.”
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-to-green right now.”
Grillo also had a 69, opening with a double bogey and finishing with a bogey.
UNLV product 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.
The top 100 in the FedEx Cup advance to the next playoff event outside Boston next week, and 13 players outside the top 100 were eliminated when they didn’t advance to the weekend.
As for the Ryder Cup, three players who missed the cut no longer can qualify — Las Vegas resident Kevin Na, Bill Haas and Daniel Summerhays.
■ LPGA — At 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.
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 and then made eight birdies in her bogey-free second round.
South Korea’s In Gee Chun (67) and Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow (69) were tied for second.
Three-time champion Ko (69) was four strokes back, and Canadian star Brooke Henderson (68) was eight behind.
■ CHAMPIONS — At 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, Sauers, 54, played the four par-5 holes in 5 under with the eagle and three birdies. He won three times on the PGA Tour.
Duffy Waldorf and Stephen Ames were a stroke back. Waldorf had five straight birdies, and Ames played the final six holes in 6 under.