DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Patrick Reed kept a clean card Saturday for a 2-under 70 in the Qatar Masters, a round that slightly expanded his lead and greatly expanded his confidence as he goes for his second European tour title in three weeks.
Reed's only birdies were a 20-foot putt on the second hole and a simple up-and-down on the par-5 10th. He fell behind Joakim Lagergren on the front nine, but the Swede had four bogeys over his last 11 holes to fall back.
Reed was at 14-under 202, two shots ahead of former British Amateur champion Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark, who had a 68.
Reed birded only one of the par 5s at Doha Golf Club, a three-putt par from 95 feet on the closing hole. It was the control of his game, particularly the irons, that left him pleased.
“I felt like I hit the ball better today than I did the last two days ... well, really compared to yesterday, and two shots worse. So it's an interesting game," Reed said. “The golf game feels good, it feels solid, it feels steady and really just got to go out there and keep the foot on the gas tomorrow.”
This is the 35-year-old American's fourth straight week in the Middle East, a career-changing month for the former Masters champion.
Reed won the Dubai Desert Classic against a strong field for his first European tour title, revealed he had not yet renewed his deal with Saudi-funded LIV Golf and then left the league when he could not agree on a new contract.
Through all that, Reed lost in a playoff last week in Bahrain and now is one round away from another European tour title that would put him atop the Race to Dubai and move him into the top 20 in the world ranking for the first time since September 2021.
He also would virtually lock up a PGA Tour card for 2027 from the leading 10 players on the European tour not already exempt. Reed would be close to the points total that earned a PGA Tour card last year, and he still has four majors and five Rolex Series events to play.
The PGA Tour has said Reed could return as early as September, a year after his last LIV event.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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