golf roundup

golf roundup

Friday’s pro tournaments

THE BARCLAYS

FARMINGDALE, N.Y.

Patrick Reed’s place in the Ryder Cup is looking better with each round at The Barclays, and so are his prospects of winning. Even with a careless finish Friday at Bethpage Black, Reed rode a fast start to a 3-under 68 and a two-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo and Rickie Fowler in the opening FedEx Cup playoff event. The Barclays is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots on the Ryder Cup team. Reed came into the week at No. 8. He had an 8-under 134 total. Fowler mostly likely needs third place alone to have any chance of qualifying for the Ryder Cup, and he has done his part. He played bogey-free in the sweltering heat, though still missing plenty of birdie chances. Par is never bad on the Black Course, however, and Fowler shot a 69. He has dropped only one shot all week, missing a 4-foot par putt Thursday that spun out of the back of the cup. Grillo also had a 69, opening with a double bogey and finishing with a bogey. Ryan Moore (68) was three shots behind, while defending champion Jason Day (70) and Jordan Spieth (67) were four back. Spieth is among the few who only have to think about the end of the FedEx Cup. He is No. 5 in the standings, and he already has clinched a spot on the Ryder Cup team. The top 100 in the FedEx Cup advance to the next playoff event outside Boston next week, and 13 players outside the top 100 were eliminated when they didn’t advance to the weekend. As for the Ryder Cup, three players who missed the cut can no longer qualify — Bill Haas, Kevin Na and Daniel Summerhays.

Patrick Reed’s place in the Ryder Cup is looking better with each round at The Barclays, and so are his prospects of winning. Even with a careless finish Friday at Bethpage Black, Reed rode a fast start to a 3-under 68 and a two-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo and Rickie Fowler in the opening FedEx Cup playoff event. The Barclays is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots on the Ryder Cup team. Reed came into the week at No. 8. He had an 8-under 134 total. Fowler mostly likely needs third place alone to have any chance of qualifying for the Ryder Cup, and he has done his part. He played bogey-free in the sweltering heat, though still missing plenty of birdie chances. Par is never bad on the Black Course, however, and Fowler shot a 69. He has dropped only one shot all week, missing a 4-foot par putt Thursday that spun out of the back of the cup. Grillo also had a 69, opening with a double bogey and finishing with a bogey. Ryan Moore (68) was three shots behind, while defending champion Jason Day (70) and Jordan Spieth (67) were four back. Spieth is among the few who only have to think about the end of the FedEx Cup. He is No. 5 in the standings, and he already has clinched a spot on the Ryder Cup team. The top 100 in the FedEx Cup advance to the next playoff event outside Boston next week, and 13 players outside the top 100 were eliminated when they didn’t advance to the weekend. As for the Ryder Cup, three players who missed the cut can no longer qualify — Bill Haas, Kevin Na and Daniel Summerhays.

MADE IN DENMARK

FARSOE, DENMARK

Champions Tour

SNOQUALMIE, WASH.

U.S. Senior Open champion Gene Sauers eagled the par-5 18th hole Friday for a 7-under 65 and a share of the Boeing Classic lead with Kirk Triplett. Coming off his breakthrough victory two weeks ago in Ohio, the 54-year-old Sauers played the four par-5 holes in 5 under with the eagle and three birdies. He won three times on the PGA Tour. Triplett had five- and four-hole birdie streaks at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Also 54, he followed a bogey on the 11th — his second hole of the day — with five straight birdies and added a birdie on 18. On his second nine, he bogeyed the third, then ran off four in a row. “I really just hit a lot of good wedges to real close, like 2 or 3 feet,” Triplett said. “That probably describes the round more than anything. It was by no means a pure ball-striking round or anything like that, I just really judged some wedges well. So, that’s where most of the birdies came.” Triplett won the American Family Insurance Championship in June in Wisconsin for his fifth victory on the 50-and-over tour.

Duffy Waldorf and Stephen Ames were a stroke back. Waldorf also had five straight birdies, from the 15th to the first. He won the season-opening event in Hawaii for his second senior title after winning four times in the PGA Tour. Ames played the final six holes in 6 under. He birdied 13 and 14, eagled the par-5 15th and birdied 16 and 18. A naturalized Canadian citizen from Trinidad & Tobago, he’s winless in 36 starts on the 50-and-over tour after winning four times on the PGA Tour.

Associated Press