Masters 2018: Patrick Reed Widens Lead After Shooting 5-Under in Round 3
Patrick Reed maintained a stranglehold on the top spot at the Masters on Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
Reed, who was at nine under through two rounds, fired a five-under 67 and is now 14 under overall for the championship. That leaves him three shots clear of Rory McIlroy—who surged up the leaderboard by shooting a bogey-free 65.
Here's a look at the top 10 entering Sunday, with the complete leaderboard available through the Masters' official website:
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- 1. Patrick Reed, -14
- 2. Rory McIlroy, -11
- 3. Rickie Fowler, -9
- 4. Jon Rahm, -8
- 5. Henrik Stenson, -7
- T-6. Tommy Fleetwood, -6
- T-6. Bubba Watson, -6
- T-6. Marc Leishman, -6
- T-9. Justin Thomas, -5
- T-9. Jordan Spieth, -5
Reed Continues to Set the Pace with McIlroy lurking
Simply put, Reed was in a zone that kept him a cut above the rest of the field.
The 27-year-old opened with a solid two-under showing on the front nine—a number that allowed him to remain two shots clear of McIlroy at the turn—and then he turned it on.
After playing the first three holes of the second nine at even, Reed erupted for two eagles in the span of three holes to widen his lead to as many as five strokes.
The first eagle came at No. 13, when Reed calmly rolled in a putt to move to 13 under, as CBS Sports documented:
The next was the par-five 15th, when he traded in his putter for a wedge and chipped in from behind the bunker:
The Action Network's Jason Sobel noted Reed has owned Augusta's par fives through 54 holes:
McIlroy didn't make as much noise after making the turn. That said, he played a blemish-free back nine that included birdies at No. 15 and No. 18 to close the gap and apply some extra pressure on Reed.
The highlight of Rory's round, though, came on the front nine.
After pouring in birdies on No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6, McIlroy made a leap up to nine under when he chipped in for eagle at the par-five eighth:
Now, Rory will head into Sunday locked in on knocking Reed from the top spot with the career Grand Slam in his sights.
"All the pressure is on him tomorrow," he said, according to Golf Channel's Ryan Lavner. "I'm hoping to come in and spoil the party."
Big Names Make Their Moves
Outside of McIlroy, Rickie Fowler was one of the biggest beneficiaries on moving day.
After shooting an even-par 72 on Friday, Fowler found his footing on softer greens and shot a seven-under 65 to tie the low round of the week.
ESPN.com's Bob Harig and PGATour.com's Mike McAllister provided some additional context regarding Fowler's clean card:
Then there was Jon Rahm, who kept himself in contention with a dueling bogey-free 65 after entering the day at one under.
That seven-under showing tied Fowler for the low round of the week and has the Spaniard sitting at eight under with 18 holes left to play.
Elsewhere, Tommy Fleetwood produced his finest outing in a major to date.
Despite entering the day at even-par, the 27-year-old produced a six-under 66 thanks to a sensational showing on the back nine.
Following birdies on No. 2 and No. 9, Fleetwood caught fire and rattled off five straight birdies between Nos. 12-16 to move all the way up to seven under.
A bogey on No. 18 sent him back to six under, but that figure will keep him within striking distance as he eyes his second top-five finish at a major.
Not bad for a guy who failed to make the cut at the Masters a year ago.
Tiger and Phil Remain Stuck in Neutral
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson barely finished inside the cut line through 36 holes, and their struggles persisted Saturday.
Although Woods shot an even-par 72—his low score of the week—he continued to struggle with distance control and failed to position himself for quality scoring opportunities.
"I'm not hitting it close enough," Woods told reporters after his round, according to Golf Channel's Tiger Tracker. "Consequently a good fought round was even par."
Mickelson, meanwhile, shot a two-over 74 after he opened his round with a triple bogey on the first and a bogey on the second. Phil recovered with an eagle on the par-five eighth and a birdie to round out his front nine, but a back-nine 37 sent him tumbling to seven over for the tournament.
"I don't have it," he said, according to McAllister. "It's frustrating being out there. But it's still Augusta. I'm trying to make due. But it's just frustrating to be out there playing when you know you don't have a chance."
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