Reed, Laird grab early lead at Barclays

NEW YORK: Patrick Reed and Martin Laird fired five-under-par 66s to open up a one-shot lead after the first round of The Barclays Championship on Thursday.

World number 14 Reed rattled off 10 consecutive pars over the opening 10 holes before hitting three birdies and an eagle over the final eight holes at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale.

Reed’s impressive opening round left him sitting pretty alongside Scotland’s Laird after a first round that saw Sweden’s Henrik Stenson limp out injured.

Reed, who teed off on the back nine, grabbed the first of his three birdies on the second, before eagling the par-five fourth hole with a 16-foot putt.

 Laird meanwhile also produced a blemish-free round, carding a 66 after sinking five birdies and no bogeys.

Laird and Reed finished ahead of a group of four players on four under, which included Rickie Fowler.

Fowler’s round included three birdies and an eagle and would have been good enough for a share of the lead had it not been for a bogey on the par-four ninth, when his second shot landed in the front bunker.

World number one and defending champion Jason Day of Australia meanwhile was two off the pace, after a 68.

Day recovered from a bogey on the second to carve out four birdies and 12 pars for his three-under-par total.

But it was a disappointing return to the day job for newly-crowned Olympic champion Justin Rose of England. Rose  shot a two-over-par 73 after an erratic first round.

Sweden’s Stenson — silver medallist behind Rose in Rio — also gave Europe a Ryder Cup scare after withdrawing with a knee injury.

World number four Stenson, who carded a three-over-par 74, said he had aggravated an old problem. “My right knee, which required surgery in December, 2015, has flared up again.”