AR
4Aces GC star Patrick Reed has an affinity for the Greater Bay Area and it was evident once again Thursday after he shot a 7-under 63 to take the first round lead in the International Series Macau presented by Wynn.
Four months ago, Reed claimed the Link Hong Kong Open, helped by a spectacular 59 in Round 3. He put together a similar display today at Macau Golf and Country Club with seven birdies and no bogeys.
Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, made a birdie on the fourth hole and then made three consecutive birdies to make the turn in 30. He added three more birdies on the back nine for his bogey-free 63.
“These greens got kind of really fast, and with some of those pin locations there on the back nine, you had to put the ball in the right spot because it’s hard to putt from above the hole,” Reed said. “I was able to do a nice job on that. Hit a couple close and, you know, kind of had a stress free 7-under par today.”
RangeGoats GC’s Peter Uihlein is tied for second after a 6-under 64. He struck a 6-iron from well over 200 yards on the 18th to a few inches from the hole and tapped in for eagle. Uihlein won twice on the Asian Tour last year at International Series events in England and Qatar,
“Played super well, despite coming off a slight strain on my hand since last week. It helped by resting it,” Uihlein said. “I am just very relaxed out here, trying to enjoy it and we’ll see where that takes us.”
Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia, winner of LIV Golf Hong Kong two weeks ago, fired a 5-under 65 and is in a group of six players tied for fifth along with Torque GC’s Sebastian Munoz.
Defending champion John Catlin, a LIV Golf reserve player, shot a disappointing 72 but did well to recover after being 4 over after five holes. Fellow LIV Golf reserve player Ollie Schniederjans, who leads both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings, was forced to withdraw due to a muscle strain.
Miguel Tabuena is tied for second after his 6-under 64. He shook off the effects of a 3:45 a.m. wake-up call and an uncharacteristic missed putt from 12 inches on his first hole to set the bar early on. The Filipino made eight birdies and two bogeys.
“Woke up at 3:45 a.m., got in the gym at 4:10 a.m.,” Tabuena said. “Did some stretching; did some activation stuff, yeah, but it’s routine. The game feels really good except for my three putt on the first hole, which was number No. 10. Missed it from a foot. So that was pretty funny. I just laughed it out.”
He rallied and made the turn in 2 under, with four birdies and two bogeys, before finding his rhythm on the second half with birdies on Nos. 3, 4, 7 and 8.
“My game’s in a good spot, but it’s still very early in the tournament. There’s three more days, and hopefully I can continue this form,” Tabuena said. “It is about playing the par 5s well here. If you score on the par 5s, I think you’ll do well. And you must understand where the wind is blowing, because it’s really bouncing around the mountains here, especially in the morning. I took advantage because it was pretty calm this morning.”
Tabuena is looking for his first win on the Asian Tour since The DGC Open presented by Mastercard in 2023. He’s had seven top fives since then so a win may well be just around the corner.
Image: supplied
