Reed, Laird share early lead at Barclays

Two days after Reed broke the gavel during the ceremonial closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, the American kept a clean card and shot 5-under 66 to share the early lead with Martin Laird at The Barclays.

Patrick Reed (above) and Martin Laird were one shot ahead of Emiliano Grillo of Argentina and a pair of Ryder Cup hopefuls, Rickie Fowler and Kevin Chappell.

Patrick Reed didn't break anything Thursday except par. Two days after Reed broke the gavel during the ceremonial closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, the American kept a clean card and shot 5-under 66 to share the early lead with Martin Laird at The Barclays.

Reed was dressed in a blue blazer with an American tie when he was asked to bang the gavel three times at the stock exchange closing on Tuesday. On the third hit, the top of the gavel flew off into the crowd, and Reed later made a joke at his own expense on Twitter.

"They told me to give it 3 good hits, so I did!" he tweeted.

"Of course it's on my mind," Reed said. "But really at the end of the day, it's just trying to get better and play this tournament. Because if I play well, that means those other guys are going to have to play even better to try to catch me."

Reed and Laird were one shot ahead of Emiliano Grillo of Argentina and a pair of Ryder Cup hopefuls, Rickie Fowler and Kevin Chappell.

Chappell likely would have to win The Barclays to make the team, while Fowler needs at least a two-way tie for fourth to have a mathematical chance. Fowler went from Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics to North Carolina for the Wyndham Championship to help his cause, but only tied for 22nd.

"That's the No. 1 priority coming into the year," Fowler said. "I'd say that's always one of the main goals coming into a Ryder Cup year. Even in the off year, you're thinking about it. That was the whole reason playing last week, trying to get more points. It would be nice to have a chance to make that team without having to get picked."

Laird is only interested in the FedEx Cup.

The Barclays is the start of a four-tournament series in which the field size shrinks until 30 qualify for the finale at the Tour Championship. Laird started at No. 89, and with only the top 100 in the standings advancing, starting well was crucial.

U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson, the No. 2 seed in the FedEx Cup, recovered from a bogey-bogey start to post a 70, while Adam Scott (No. 3) shot 69.

Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson were among those playing in the afternoon.