Patrick Reed, unpopular at Georgia, is unlikely leader through two rounds at Masters
It would have been hard to see this coming.
Through two days at the Masters, Patrick Reed sits in first place with a two-stroke lead at 9 under par. Highlights during his impressive two rounds were 22 one-putts and his birdies on the three par-5s.
“It’s important to attack the par 5s and make a lot of birdies,” Reed said.
His performance at Augusta National has been magnificent through two days. He began Friday's second round with three consecutive birdies before hitting a bogey on No. 4. Following two pars, Reed ran three consecutive birdies again on Nos. 7, 8 and 9 to jump out to 8 under par. Following a bogey and two pars, Reed again notched three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15. The par-5 birdie on No. 15 gave Reed his best score of the day at 10 under par. He followed that hole, however, with a par-3 bogey on No. 16 and hit for par on his final two holes.
Reed has never won a major championship and has taken five PGA Tour events in his career. His best finish at a major was a tie for second at the 2017 PGA Championship. Reed hasn’t won an official PGA Tour event since August 28, 2016, which was when he took home The Barclays title.
“Everyone wants to win (majors) and if you don’t believe you can win them, then you probably shouldn’t play them,” Reed said. “I believe if I play the golf I know how to play I can win majors. It’s one of those things where I can’t get ahead of myself.”
Reed shot a 66 Friday, the lowest score of anyone, which followed a 69 on Thursday. This marked the first time Reed shot below 70 in a round at the Masters. Reed, 27, credited experience with the course as for why his score has improved in his fifth-ever appearance. While Reed was born in San Antonio, Texas, he began his college career at Georgia. However, after the 2008-09 season, his lone season in Athens, Reed was dismissed from the UGA golf team and subsequently enrolled at Augusta State.
The book "Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour” by Shane Ryan alleges that Reed cheated in a qualifying tournament and was accused of stealing from a teammate while at Georgia. Reed has denied the accusations. Former Georgia assistant golf coach Jason Payne, in a statement to golf writer Stephanie Wei in 2015, said there were suspicions among Georgia golfers about Reed regarding this behavior.
At Augusta State, Reed helped lead the Jaguars to two consecutive, and improbable, NCAA Championships, given the size of the program.
Reed also ruffled the feathers of Georgia fans when he attended the Bulldogs’ football game at Notre Dame last season in Fighting Irish gear. While Reed has publicly stated his affinity for Notre Dame before the two teams squared off, Georgia fans took it as a slight to the team that kicked him out of school.
As Reed holds the lead entering the final two days, all of the other former Georgia golfers in the Masters will continue playing, too. Bubba Watson (2 under par), Russell Henley (1 over par), Brian Harman (3 over par) and Kevin Kisner (3 over par) all made the cut Friday.
For Kisner, it was a rough go from Nos. 8 through 11, which saw him bogey two holes and double bogey another. Kisner was able to rally by hitting birdies on Nos. 13 and 18 to help keep him safe for the final two days of the tournament.
“I’m proud of the way I fought to come back to play the weekend, and have a chance to have a decent finish if I can post some good rounds,” Kisner said.
This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Patrick Reed, unpopular at Georgia, is unlikely leader through two rounds at Masters."