AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The Latest on Friday’s second round of the Masters (all times local):

7:55 p.m.

Patrick Reed is halfway home to his first major championship.

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Reed shot a 6-under 66 in the second round Friday, moving to 9 under for the tournament and giving him a two-shot lead over Marc Leishman heading into the third round. Reed and Leishman will be the final pairing Saturday, with the weather forecast calling for steady rain throughout the day. Both Reed and Leishman are seeking their first major title.

The 27-year-old Texan says ”I just kept myself out of trouble and let my putter do the work.”

Reed grabbed the lead thanks mostly to becoming the only player in the field to birdie all eight par 5s in the first two rounds. He also putted just 51 times through 36 holes.

Reed became the first to reach double digits under par this year – albeit it a brief stay. Reed made three consecutive birdies on the back nine before making a bogey at the par-3 16th..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) The Latest on Friday’s second round of the Masters (all times local):

1:40 p.m.

On a day when the wind has picked up and scores are rising, Matt Kuchar is holding a share of the lead at the Masters.

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Seeking his first major title, Kuchar made the turn with a 1-over score in the second round to remain at 3 under for the day. He is tied with Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello, along with four other players who had late tee times: Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Canada’s Adam Hadwin and Americans Patrick Reed and Charley Hoffman.

First-round leader Jordan Spieth is struggling. He got off to a terrible start, making a double bogey at the first hole and a bogey at the second, before dropping another shot with a bogey at No. 7. He is now part of the group at 2 under, which also includes Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy.

Phil Mickelson was also in the mix until a triple-bogey 7 at the ninth dropped him to 1 over.

Tiger Woods..

Tim Tebow could be sitting in a posh Bristol studio collecting seven figures a year to flirt with Paul Finebaum and occasionally pop up on Mike Greenberg's new morning show (for however long it lasts). But true to Tebow form, he has selected the path of most resistance, and for that we graciously, endlessly thank him. Why? Because it continues to produce headlines and highlights like this:
https://twitter.com/Mets/status/982037344088883200
That's Tim Tebow crushing a three-run dingah in his first double-A at bat for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, a real name of an actual minor league team apparently. And as if a former Heisman winner and national sports icon freezing his ass off in the on-deck circle of a minor league ballpark in beautiful Binghamton, New York isn't surprising enough, this is not the first time Tebow has done this either.
Last year, during his first at-bat with the Class-A Columbia Fireflies, Tebow also spanked one to the cheap seats, raising some very re..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) On the 50th anniversary of Roberto de Vicenzo’s famous scorecard mistake that cost him the Masters, the hosts of ”AP Sports Special Events” podcast make a few mistakes of their own.

So did defending champion Sergio Garcia, who made a 13 on the 15th hole, while Jordan Spieth threatened to take command of the tournament with an opening round 66 that put him two shots ahead.

Co-hosts Jim Litke and Tim Dahlberg talk with AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson about how things shook out on the first day and what we can expect in the next few days. They also talk with Ferguson about celebrating his birthday at the Masters with a very special ”cake” provided by the hospitality students who make things run smoothly in the press dining area.

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They also hear from Marty Hackel, the longtime fashion writer for Golf Digest, who ranks a few players on how they are dressed. Hint: Pleated, baggy golf pants are now officially out of style.

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More Masters coverag..

Golf Channel analysts not conceding Spieth a Masters victory, but… ’23 putts bad omen’ for those chasing

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Rory McIlroy wanted to get off to a solid start at the Masters, his latest shot at a career Grand Slam.

Saving par on the final three holes in the opening round Thursday helped him keep it in sight.

McIlroy shot a 3-under 69, breaking 70 in the first round at Augusta National for the first time since 2011. He shot a 65 that year and looked like he would win a green jacket before a final-round meltdown.

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McIlroy heads into the second round Friday three shots behind Jordan Spieth, who made five consecutive birdies on the back nine to build a two-stroke lead over Tony Finau and Matt Kuchar.

”You look at it and not anyone is really getting away,” McIlroy said. ”Jordan had a pretty strong finish there. But this is my best start in a few years. And, yeah, it’s such a hard golf course to play catch-up on. If you start to chase it around here, that’s when you start to make mistakes.

”But to be right up there and have the ability to stay patien..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Rory McIlroy has the career Grand Slam well within reach at the Masters.

Tough conditions at Augusta National could help keep him in the hunt.

McIlroy had an up-and-down start to the second round Friday, carding two birdies and three bogeys on the front nine while moving closer to the leaders. Matt Kuchar and six others were tied at 3 under when McIlroy made the turn one shot back.

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With firmer greens, tougher pin placements and just enough wind to make approach shots more challenging, it could be difficult for anyone to make a run up the leaderboard. That could be beneficial for McIlroy.

McIlroy was at his best early in the round. He made a sweeping 30-footer for birdie and the par-5 second. He nearly drove the green on the 350-yard third and then chipped to 4 feet and drained it for a birdie. He was at 4 under before giving back shots at Nos. 4 and 6, both par 3s.

He was over the green on the 240-yard fourth and then missed a 7-foote..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Li Haotong made his first bogey in his first Masters, and he was lucky it wasn’t worse.

He was caught in the trees left of the 10th fairway. It took him four shots just to reach the green, and he still had 7 feet to navigate. Li made the bogey putt, a big relief for the 22-year-old from China.

”Literally almost say, `Amen’ down there,” Li said with his infectious smile.

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Maybe it was a premonition.

Li proceeded to make three straight birdies around Amen Corner on Thursday, starting with a 35-footer from off the green using the belly of his wedge en route to a 69. He doesn’t have a deep understanding of the tradition at Augusta National, but he could tell this was special.

”Quite lucky today,” Li said.

It’s part of his self-deprecating nature that made Li a favorite of Web.com Tour players when he first played a full circuit in America. But his peers know better, whether they watch him play or look at his results.

He won four times on..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Tony Finau’s last 24 hours included a little bit of everything: Pain. Embarrassment. Concern. Relief. Determination. Excitement.

The 28-year-old American with Samoan roots battled through a severely sprained ankle and shot a 4-under 68 in the opening round at the Masters. How he injured it was somewhat comical, albeit painful to watch. How he overcame it was downright extraordinary.

”You can’t make that up,” he said.

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It was one of the best – certainly most unpredictable – story lines of the tournament’s first day.

Finau dislocated his left ankle celebrating a hole-in-one during the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday and then popped it back into place. X-rays were negative. Finau had an early morning MRI on Thursday to determine whether he could make his Masters debut.

Doctors cleared him to play, and his ankle was tightly taped as he headed to the practice range. No pain-numbing shots or pills. Just pure grit.

”I was just extremely happy tha..

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) A look at the key hole Thursday in the first round of the Masters:

HOLE: 15.

YARDAGE: 530.

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PAR: 5.

STROKE AVERAGE: 4.644

RANK: 17.

KEY FACT: Nine players in the top 10 made birdies at the hole known as ”Firethorn,” but this is where Sergio Garcia’s hopes of a second straight green jacket ended on the very first day. He dumped five balls into the water and shot 13 – matching the highest score on a hole in Masters history. Garcia finished with a 9-over 81, the worst score ever for a defending champion.

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