By Doug Ferguson Published 5:10 pm, Saturday, April 7, 2018 AUGUSTA, Ga. — Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy meet again, this time for a green jacket instead of a gold Ryder Cup trophy. Reed seized control of the Masters on a wet Saturday at Augusta National with a pair of eagles on the back nine and a 5-under 67 that gave him a three-shot lead. McIlroy, who chipped in for eagle on the front nine to briefly tie for the lead, made an 18-foot birdie on the final hole for a 65 to nudge a little closer. This is not match play, as it was for their singles match in Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. It sure feels like it. And it sounded about as loud, too, especially with players taking advantage of greens slightly softened by the rain. Reed ran off three straight birdies around the turn, and he stretched his lead to as many as five shots with his eagles. He made a 15-foot eagle putt on the 13th, and then he showed he was not in the mood to play it safe on the 15th. From just under 270 … [Read more...] about Reed builds 3-shot lead over McIlroy at Masters
Playing at augusta national
Patrick Reed halfway home to 1st major at Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Patrick Reed is halfway home to his first major championship. He got there by mostly staying out of trouble at daunting Augusta National and mastering the four par 5s. Reed shot a 6-under 66 in the second round Friday and moved to 9-under 135 for the tournament. He takes a two-shot lead over Marc Leishman into Saturday’s third round, which could be affected by rain. Forecasts call for steady showers all day, the kind of weather that should soften up what had become a hard and fast test. The way Reed has played, it’s doubtful even Mother Nature can slow him down. “I believe if I play the golf I know how to play, I can win majors,” said Reed, a 27-year-old Texan who ended his college career 3 miles down the road at Augusta State. “I need to stick to my game plan.” Reed and Leishman will be the final pairing Saturday, scheduled to tee off at 2:30 p.m. Reed grabbed the lead thanks mostly to being the only player in the field to … [Read more...] about Patrick Reed halfway home to 1st major at Masters
Jordan Spieth holds first-round lead at Masters
By Doug Ferguson Updated 9:27 pm, Thursday, April 5, 2018 AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods attracted most of the attention. Jordan Spieth caused the most concern. The first round at the Masters had a wide-open feel until Spieth hit his stride Thursday afternoon. He saved three straight pars with his short game. He ran off three straight birdies to take the lead. And then he fired an 8-iron at the pin on the par-3 16th, letting the club twirl through his hands as he walked away, knowing only that it was another good one. It plopped down 5 feet away. “You don’t know where it’s going to end up,” he said, “but you know it’s going to be in a good position.” Spieth took only 10 putts on the back nine. He made five consecutive birdies, a career best for him in the majors. Even a bogey on the final hole felt like a par the way he navigated out of the trees and limited the damage with a pitch that stopped inches from the cup. That gave him a … [Read more...] about Jordan Spieth holds first-round lead at Masters
Woods one over in ‘awesome’ return to Augusta National
Tiger Woods of USA plays an approach shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP) "Seventy-three is fine," Woods said. "It's really hard to run away from it, but it's also really easy to lose it out there. "By the end of the week there will be a bunch of guys with a chance to win this tournament." The leaderboard was tightly bunched as the first round moved into its later stages. Tony Finau, starting a day after injuring his ankle celebrating a hole in one in the par-three contest, was four-under through 17. In the clubhouse, newcomer Li Haotong was among five players sharing the early lead on three-under par 69. Li, the first Chinese man to crack the top 50 in the world rankings, moved to four-under with an impressive run of three birdies over Augusta's Amen Corner trio of holes. But the 22-year-old gave a shot back with a bogey at 18 to fall into a tie with former British Open champion … [Read more...] about Woods one over in ‘awesome’ return to Augusta National
Jordan Spieth back in his comfort zone at Masters
Doug Ferguson, AP Golf Writer Updated 9:20 pm, Thursday, April 5, 2018 AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods attracted most of the attention. Jordan Spieth caused the most concern. Opening day at the Masters had a wide-open feel until Spieth hit his stride Thursday afternoon. He saved three straight pars with that superb short game. He ran off three straight birdies to take the lead. And then he fired an 8-iron at the pin on the par-3 16th, letting the club twirl through his hands as he walked away, knowing only that it was another good one. It plopped down 5 feet away. "You don't know where it's going to end up," he said, "but you know it's going to be in a good position." Spieth took only 10 putts on the back nine. He made five straight birdies, a career best for him in the majors. Even a bogey on the final hole felt like a par the way he navigated out of the trees and limited the damage with a pitch that stopped inches from going in. That gave him a 6-under 66 and a two-shot … [Read more...] about Jordan Spieth back in his comfort zone at Masters