AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Tanker Reed is leading a major tournament for the first time, and his confidence is so higher that he can only see what’ ersus ahead of him.
Probably that’ s just as well at this Experts.
Reed started plus finished the front nine with 3 straight birdies. He answered Marc Leishman’ t bold shot to have an eagle by polishing off an additional run of three straight birdies. It added to a 6-under sixty six and a two-shot lead over Leishman going into the weekend at Augusta National.
Right behind options five major champions.
Nowhere near him are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson , the two names that will generated so much of the buzz for the Masters that otherwise is residing up to expectations.
Nothing of it matters to Reed, who will be going after his first major.
” Everyone wants to earn, and if you don’ t think you can win them, then you possibly shouldn’ t be playing inside them, ” Reed said. ” In my opinion that if I play the golfing that I know how to play that I may win majors. … There’ ersus a lot of holes left, and I simply need to go out and keep to my game plan, enjoy some solid golf and just venture out and continue shooting in the sixties and see if it gets the job completed. ”
Dustin Johnson , Justin Jones, Jordan Spieth , Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson still have a say because.
Woods and Mickelson probably don’ t.
Woods hit one shot in to a cluster of magnolia trees plus another into Rae’ s Creek. He didn’ t make a birdie until the 13th hole and had to stay for a 3-over 75, leaving your pet 13 shots behind. No one provides ever won the Masters whenever trailing by more than eight pictures going into the weekend.
” I’ m going to need to shoot a special weekend and I helping you, ” Woods said. ” I’ m not in control of my own future. ”
Mickelson smacked a shot into the trees trying to get away a forest and made multiple bogey, deposited a tee chance into Rae’ s Creek upon No . 12 for a double bogey and shot a 79, complementing his worst score at Augusta National. He started the day four pictures out of the lead. He ended the morning making the cut on the amount.
Even without all of them, the show is just getting started.
Reed was a runner-up in the PGA Championship last summer, although he played the final hole with no chance to win. His best functionality on the big stage has been in the particular Ryder Cup.
” Going to treat it just like another day, head out and try to do what I’ ve been doing and stick to the game plan and try to make some more birdies, ” Reed said.
He was at 9-under 135.
Leishman seized in the moment with the best shot during. His tee shot on the fifteenth was too far left, leaving trees and shrubs between him and the flag. Rather than laying up from 210 back yards, he closed with the face of the 5-iron, aimed toward the right bunker.
” I meant to catch it 30 yards, and I place 40 yards of hook onto it, ” Leishman said with a grin.
The ball directly cleared the mound at the front from the green, caught the slope plus settled 6 feet away to have an eagle.
” We’ re not here to place up, ” Leishman said. ” It’ s a major. You’ lso are going to have to take some chances at some time during the week if you want to win, which was a time where I thought I had fashioned to take a chance. I’ ve already been hitting that shot well for the range and I thought it was the prime opportunity to give it a test. And yes it came off. ”
Stenson (70) was four pictures behind. McIlroy (71) is away from to his best 36-hole come from seven years and is looking because poised as ever to catch the fourth leg of the career Great Slam. Spieth lost his two-shot lead on the first hole plus was on the verge of getting left out until he made a key k?rester putt to close out front side nine with a 40, and then restored a 74 to join McIlroy simply five shots behind.
” I’ ve always been comfy around the lead, ” McIlroy stated. ” It’ s a place that will I’ m thankfully quite acquainted with and know how to deal with. ”
Looming was Johnson, the particular No . 1 player in the world, which made a 45-foot par putt on the 16th to atone for a number of birdie putts in the 10-foot variety he missed. Johnson had a 68 and was six shots at the rear of, along with Thomas, who had a 67.
Eleven of the seventeen players still under par on the halfway point can be found among the best 20 in the world.
Spieth was happy to be near the best after the way he started – the tee shot into the trees in the right and a three putts for the double bogey, and then a generate to the left and three more putts for a bogey. Just like that he had been behind, and it kept getting even worse. He made bogey from the core fairway on No . 7. This individual three-putted from long range over the par-5 eighth. And he was going for a 41 on the front 9 until he made a 10-foot par putt.
” I’ m still in this golfing tournament, ” Spieth said. ” With the way the back nine was actively playing today, the wheels could have appear there. But I made several nice par saves and could grind out some phenomenal second-shot iron shots and good two-putt birdies. ”
Hardwoods made bogey on the opening with a sand wedge from the fairway. He or she really came undone when their second shot to the fifth bounded over the green and into a grove of magnolia trees. He had taken a penalty drop to clear room with the branches, put that in the bunker and made double bogey. Hardly any went right except for a pair of birdies on the par 5s on the back again nine.
Looking at the particular white leaderboards only made your pet feel worse. The cut is perfect for the top 50 and ties plus anyone within 10 shots from the lead. Woods kept seeing Reed make birdies, and he knew he or she was well outside the 10 photos.
” I was looking to keep it within 10. I didn’ t know what my position has been, but I think I’ m within, ” he said after their round.
He had been tied for 40th.
—
For more AP golf coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Golf and https://apnews.com/tag/TheMasters
