golf articles and vidoes golfarticles004: 08/28/13

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Rookie Reed takes 1-stroke lead at Wyndham

JOEDY McCREARY (AP Sports Writer) August 16, 2013AP - Sports

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Patrick Reed listens to wife Justine. And with good reason: She's carrying his clubs.

With his wife serving as his caddie, the PGA Tour rookie shot a 6-under 64 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead in the Wyndham Championship. He had an 11-under 129 total.

''I don't mind her having all the attention,'' Reed said. ''Less attention for me, which means I can just focus more on my game.''

Reed had six birdies in a bogey-free round that was a stroke shy of matching his best of the year.

John Huh had the best round of the day - a 62 - to move to 10 under. John Deere winner Jordan Spieth was 9 under after a 66. Spieth also is a PGA Tour rookie, and Huh is in his second year.

Charlie Wi, Bob Estes, Rory Sabbatini, Brian Harman, Jim Herman and first-round co-leader Ross Fisher were 7 under.

Wi had a 65, Estes, Harman, Herman and Sabbatini shot 66, and Fisher had a 69.

Organizers moved up the third-round tee times Saturday to try to dodge a threat of rain, with players going off in threesomes at the first and 10th tees.

Reed, the 23-year-old former college player at Georgia and Augusta State, had top-10 finishes in his last two tournaments. He could have built an even bigger lead in this one, but missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 seventh.

He closed his round with birdies on the eighth and ninth holes, sinking a 10-foot putt to applause from the gallery and walking off the green with his arm around Justine's shoulder.

She began caddying for him last summer before a Monday qualifying tournament in Houston. During a humid, 100-degree day in Texas, she had no trouble lugging around a bag full of rain gear, he said.

''I told her to read putts for me that day, and she just has a knack for reading greens extremely well,'' Reed said. ''It's basically like my coach being out there with me. She knows just as much about the golf swing. She knows why I hit it left or right or anything like that, so I mean, if ever I get out of whack, she can fix me immediately.''

Reed certainly has a history on Donald Ross-designed courses in North Carolina. He reached the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Amateur on Ross' No. 2 course at Pinehurst, and the first cut he made on the tour came at this Sedgefield Country Club course two years ago after receiving a sponsor's exemption.

''That's why I love this event,'' Reed said.

Huh, a 23-year-old who was the youngest player on tour to win last year, came on strong late with birdies on his final three holes, including an 11-foot birdie putt on the ninth that closed his best round of the year.

Did he see this coming?

''Not 62. It was more like, maybe, 64,'' he said, laughing. ''I drove the ball great since (The) Masters, actually. It's been a long time, but I was able to put everything together and I'm really pleased with it.''

A breakout rookie year on tour continued for the 20-year-old Spieth, who was 19 last month when he became the youngest winner in eight decades with his victory in the John Deere Classic.

He had a boom-or-bust day at Sedgefield with seven birdies and three bogeys. After starting on the back nine, he birdied four of his final six holes and heard chants of ''Spiethy'' from the gallery.

''I wish they had said 'Spieth' instead of 'Spiethy,' but you can't pick your nickname,'' Spieth said, laughing. ''It's great. It's kind of weird, kind of new to have people kind of cheering for me. ... All it does is help carry momentum, positive momentum, and hopefully, I'll have a lot of people be yelling at my back tomorrow.''

The field is littered with players trying to either hold on to their FedEx Cup playoff position or force their way into The Barclays in New Jersey next week. The top 125 on the points list qualify for the postseason.

Tommy ''Two Gloves'' Gainey, who arrived at No. 137, moved to 3 under after his 69. Fisher, at No. 162, kept himself in position to challenge for a playoff spot, and so did Herman, No. 149.

But for others, the bubble may have burst: No. 126 Peter Hanson and No. 129 Padraig Harrington both missed the cut. Hanson was at 1 over after his 73 while Harrington's 74 left him at 7 over.

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Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/joedyap

Golf-Rookie Reed shoots 64 to seize Wyndham lead

August 16, 2013

* Reed maintains recent run of good form

* Defending champion Garcia slips back with a 70 (Updates at end of round)

By Andrew Both

GREENSBORO, North Carolina, Aug 16 (Reuters) - PGA Tour rookie Patrick Reed has not yet established himself on the U.S. circuit but that could change soon if he continues his current form.

Hot on the heels of two high finishes in his last two starts, Reed maintained his sizzling run to earn a one-stroke lead after the second round of the $5.3 million Wyndham Championship on Friday.

"We've been working extremely hard trying to fine-tune everything," the 23-year-old told reporters after shooting a bogey-free, six-under-par 64 on a calm, mild morning at Sedgefield Country Club.

"And lately with how I've been hitting the ball and how I've been putting, it just seems to all be clicking."

Reed posted an 11-under 129 total to finish a stroke in front of another young gun, fellow American John Huh, who fired the day's best score with an eight-birdie 62.

Compatriot Jordan Spieth (66) was another shot back at nine under, suggesting that the future of American golf is in good hands with all three front-runners aged 23 or less.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia, among a large group in joint third place overnight, shot a level-par 70 to slip six strokes off the pace.

RAISED SIGHTS

Reed made his first cut on the PGA Tour here two years ago, but he has his sights set far higher this week after finishing seventh and ninth in his last two starts.

"I just need to put four rounds together and hopefully that's this week," said Reed, whose wife, Justine, serves as his caddie.

"She knows just as much about the golf swing, why I hit it left or right or anything like that, so if I ever get out of whack she can fix me immediately."

Huh, the 2012 PGA Tour rookie of the year, was by no means shocked after shooting a 62, though he felt a 64 was more likely when he teed off.

"I was able to put everything together and I'm really pleased," said Huh, who was born in New York of Korean parents and spent several years of his childhood living in South Korea.

He says he has been playing well since changing his driver shortly before the Masters, but had not put every component of his game together in the same round until Friday.

Garcia, meanwhile, lamented a cold putter, not for the first time in his career, after missing five putts from inside seven feet to fall six strokes off the pace.

"I would have loved to shoot at least a couple under (par) today. I feel I played well enough to do it but I didn't," the Spaniard said. "I wasn't able to hole it as well as yesterday from four, five, six feet."

The cut fell at one-under 139 and among those to miss out were former major winners Ben Curtis, Stewart Cink, Lucas Glover, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh and Padraig Harrington.

Saturday's third round will start at 7 a.m. local (1100 GMT), because officials are worried that predicted rain will leave the course unplayable later in the day. (Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

Rookie Reed shoots 64 to seize Wyndham lead

Andrew Both August 16, 2013

By Andrew Both

GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - PGA Tour rookie Patrick Reed has not yet established himself on the U.S. circuit but that could change soon if he continues his current form.

Hot on the heels of two high finishes in his last two starts,Reed maintained his sizzling run to earn a one-stroke lead after the second round of the $5.3 million Wyndham Championship on Friday.