Ex-Masters champ Patrick Reed cards rare 59 to make Hong Kong Open history
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Patrick Reed of the US hitting from off the fairway on day one of the Hong Kong Open at Fanling on Nov 21, 2024. His third-round 59 is only the second ever on the Asian Tour.
AFP
HONG KONG – Patrick Reed shot a rare 59 at the Hong Kong Open on Nov 23 to catapult the former Masters champion into a three-stroke lead going into the final round.
The 2018 winner at Augusta carded 11 birdies in his sizzling 11-under third round to go 18-under 192 overall on the prestigious Asian Tour event, of which this is the 63rd edition.
Sub-60 rounds are extremely rare in golf.
There have been just over a dozen on the US PGA Tour and there had been none on the Asian Tour until earlier in 2024.
Preferred lies were played in the US$2 million (S$2.7 million) tournament, so Reed’s feat does not stand officially.
His scorching round at Fanling was the lowest score ever at the Hong Kong Open, Asia’s oldest professional golf tournament, trumping a 60 by Ian Poulter in 2010.
“I had probably one of my worst warm-ups ever,” Reed, 34, who is among a number of big-name players to have jumped ship to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, told reporters.
“I looked at my caddie and he said, ‘Hey, a warm-up’s a warm-up. Let’s go out and just play golf. Some of your best rounds have come from a poor warm-up’.”
The American started with a blistering five birdies in a row and rattled off four more on the trot to finish with a flurry.
“I honestly felt it could have been lower,” he added.
In March, Reed’s then playing partner and fellow American John Catlin carded a 59 at the International Series Macau for the first sub-60 round on the Asian Tour.
Reed holds a three-shot lead over India’s Rashid Khan (63) and Nitithorn Thippong (66) of Thailand as he chases a first win on the Asian Tour.
Defending champion Ben Campbell (68) of New Zealand is a further shot back at 14 under.
Singapore’s sole entrant Mardan Mamat missed the two-under cut by five strokes after rounds of 74 and 69. AFP
