DOHA: Patrick Reed of the United States moved into sole possession of the halfway lead at the 2026 Qatar Masters after rolling in a closing birdie during Friday’s second round at Doha Golf Course.
Reed finished the day on 12 under par, breaking clear of Joakim Lagergren, whose lively round of 66 had briefly seen the Swede share top spot at 11 under. A seven-foot birdie putt on the 18th — Reed’s third birdie in his final five holes — proved decisive.
Reed grinds out another strong round
Following his opening 65 with a 67, Reed admitted the second round was more of a test.
“Honestly, today was a little frustrating, especially early,” he said. “I didn’t hit my first fairway until six. I finally celebrated hitting a fairway and then went and birdied the hole.
“My ball-striking wasn’t quite as sharp as yesterday, but I missed in the right spots. To feel like you didn’t hit it that well and still hit 17 greens is always a positive.”
After making just two birdies on the front nine, Reed capitalised on the par-five 10th for the second day running and added further gains at the 14th, 16th and 18th, offsetting a lone bogey at the 15th.
Lagergren stays in touch
Lagergren’s 66 lifted him to 11 under par and kept him firmly in contention heading into the weekend, setting up a promising chase at the top of the leaderboard.
Hillier and Sterne share third
Daniel Hillier, who had shared the overnight lead with Reed, carded a three-under-par 69 to sit joint third on 10 under alongside South African Richard Sterne.
The New Zealander mixed bogeys at the third and 12th with bursts of scoring, producing three consecutive birdies from the seventh and another run of three birdies in four holes starting at the 13th. A final bogey at the 17th limited his progress.
Crowded leaderboard behind
Angel Ayora, Matt Wallace and Ewen Ferguson shared fifth place on nine under par, while Jacob Skov Olesen and Japan’s Kota Kaneko sat a shot further back on eight under.
Harrington reaches another milestone
Pádraig Harrington signed for a 70 to reach three under par and safely make the cut for the 380th time in his 500 DP World Tour appearances — an impressive 76 per cent success rate as the Irishman continues to add to his remarkable longevity on tour.
