Patrick Reed surged to the top of the Qatar Open leaderboard after day two, posting a 67 to move to 12 under par and a one-shot lead over Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren.
Reed, who shared the lead with Lagergren through much of the final stretch, made just two birdies on the front nine but capitalised on the par-five 10th for the second consecutive day.
Further gains at the 14th, 16th and 18th more than offset a bogey at the 15th, giving the American a one-shot advantage over Lagergren, who finished on 11 under following a 66.
Daniel Hillier, Reed’s co-leader from round one, shot 69 to join South Africa’s Richard Sterne in third on 10 under. Hillier dropped shots at the 3rd, 12th and 17th but responded with two streaks of three birdies in succession. Sterne was bogey-free in a 66, holing out from a greenside bunker on the penultimate hole for his sixth birdie.
“Honestly, today was a little frustrating, especially early,” Reed admitted. “Didn’t hit my first fairway until the 6th, finally had a little celebration there, and next thing you know I birdied the hole. Ball-striking wasn’t as sharp as yesterday, but I missed in the right spots and still hit 17 greens. That’s always a positive.
“I was able to get back up top on the leaderboard and build confidence on the back nine with how I hit the golf ball.”
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Lagergren, who carded four birdies and an eagle, produced a memorable moment at the 2nd hole when his tee shot landed in a rock formation. With the help of caddie Jesse Karlsson, he cleared the obstruction and salvaged par. He finished with a 24-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
“Very solid day,” Lagergren said. “When I came up to the ball, I thought I’d have to take an unplayable, so I’m very happy my caddie managed it.”
Angel Ayora, Matt Wallace and Ewen Ferguson share fifth on nine under, with Jacob Skov Olesen and Kota Kaneko at eight under.
Pádraig Harrington shot 70 to reach three under, making his 380th cut in DP World Tour events.
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– Edited report from DP World Tour website
Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Article Link: SA's Sterne two behind leader Reed at Qatar Open