Reed, McIlroy are 1-2 heading to epic Sunday at Masters

He said heading into Sunday that he’d like to play well enough to potentially break even par for the championship.

I still think Tiger has a lot left in the tank, but the 2018 Masters showed us that Woods’ success at Augusta should not be as automatic as we thought.

Reed and McIlroy are indelibly linked to a Ryder Cup singles match at Hazeltine about 18 months ago when they traded big putts until Reed prevailed on the 18th hole. He had a four-shot lead in the 2011 Masters and shot 80 in the final round.

He shouldn’t. He’s out here to do his job and prove that he is one of the best golfers on the Tour, and he has a chance to do that on Sunday at the Masters. “Now I know I’m on the weekend”.

“The run up to this event is pretty hard and pretty grueling”, said Woods, who finished 12th, tied for second and tied for fifth in three tournaments on the Florida Swing. “I’m out here to do my job, and that’s to play golf”. “That will be a good goal tomorrow and hopefully I can get it done”.

49 of Top 50 in Official World Golf Ranking (No. 10 Brooks Koepka has a wrist injury).

To those who have followed the sport over the last five years, Reed’s past transgressions aren’t news. He chipped in from about 100 feet, punctuating it with the kind of fist pump and primal scream that somebody else made popular here during his prime.

Spain’s Rahm, 23, also played without a bogey and was one stroke in front of former British Open champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who carded a 70 for 209.

“I’ve taken a lot of punches on this golf course, and in tournaments in general”, Spieth said.

“Just a great day”, McIlroy said.

None of that will matter if Rory McIlroy is putting.

Rory McIlroy insists the pressure is all on Patrick Reed as he attempts to overhaul his Ryder Cup rival to win the Masters and complete a career Grand Slam.

Reed once claimed after winning a World Golf Championship at Doral that he was a top 5 player in the world, which subjected him to ridicule.

“I feel like all the pressure is on him”, the 28-year-old McIlroy said of Reed, who’s never won a major title.

Three-time Masters victor Phil Mickelson, one of the pre-tournament favorites, wrapped up one of his most disappointing appearances in the Masters with his best round of the week, a 67, to finish at 2 over. It’s believable, and unbelievable.

While he may not be in contention down the stretch, an under-par day and back to even par or better for the 2018 Masters would certainly be considered an improvement for Woods. Palmer’s been there. Nicklaus’ been there.

American Patrick Reed seized a three-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the Masters, firing a five-under 67 at the rain-softened Augusta National.

But it comes at a cost.

As for his haters, Reed doesn’t care what they think. “He’s got to go out and protect that and he’s got a few guys chasing him that are big-time players”. If I look at it one way, I mean, in 2016, I went bogey, bogey, quad and then was able to rebound from that. But I could also be in the middle of waiting for a group to come to the tee, only to hear a roar echoing through the trees and possibly needing an hour or more to figure out what happened while those watching on television or back in the press building would be up to speed. It doesn’t really mean much to me. Fowler and Rahm are five and six back from Reed respectively.

“I was just a little bit off and I’ll take a week or two off and I’ll regroup and get back at it”, Mickelson said. “Not that I have anything against Patrick”.