Patrick Reed has a two-shot lead at the Barclays

Patrick Reed’s place in the Ryder Cup is looking better with each round at the Barclays, and so are his prospects of winning.

Even with a careless finish Friday at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y., Reed rode a fast start to a three-under-par 68 and a two-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo and Rickie Fowler in the opening FedEx Cup playoff event.

The Barclays is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots on the Ryder Cup team. Reed came into the week at No. 8. He had an eight-under 134 total.

Fowler mostly likely needs third place alone to have any chance of qualifying for the Ryder Cup, and he has done his part. He played bogey-free in the sweltering heat, though still missing plenty of birdie chances. Par is never bad on the Black Course, however, and Fowler shot a 69. He has dropped only one shot all week, missing a four-foot par putt Thursday that spun out of the back of the cup.

Grillo also had a 69, opening with a double bogey and finishing with a bogey.

Ryan Moore (68) was three shots behind, while defending champion Jason Day (70) and Jordan Spieth (67) were four back. Spieth is among the few who only have to think about the end of the FedEx Cup. He is No. 5 in the standings, and he already has clinched a spot on the Ryder Cup team.

The top 100 in the FedEx Cup advance to the next playoff event outside Boston next week, and 13 players outside the top 100 were eliminated when they didn’t advance to the weekend. As for the Ryder Cup, three players who missed the cut can no longer qualify — Bill Haas, Kevin Na and Daniel Summerhays.

Sauers, Triplett share lead at Boeing Classic

U.S. Senior Open champion Gene Sauers eagled the par-five 18th hole for a seven-under 65 and a share of the Boeing Classic lead with Kirk Triplett in Snoqualmie, Wash.

Coming off his breakthrough victory two weeks ago in Ohio, the 54-year-old Sauers played the four par-five holes in five under with the eagle and three birdies. He won three times on the PGA Tour.

Triplett had five- and four-hole birdie streaks at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Also 54, he followed a bogey on the 11th — his second hole of the day — with five straight birdies and added a birdie on 18. On his second nine, he bogeyed the third, then ran off four in a row.

Duffy Waldorf and Stephen Ames were a stroke back. David Frost, Tom Byrum, 2012 champion Jay Don Blake, Jeff Maggert and Tom Pernice Jr. are two shots back while Bernhard Langer opened with a 69. John Daly had a 71.

Dredge leads in Denmark

Wales’ Bradley Dredge shot a 5-under 66 in windy conditions to take a three-stroke lead in the Made In Denmark tournament in Farsoe.

Dredge had a 13-under 129 total at Himmerland after opening with a 63. Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren was second after a 70.

South Africa’s Richard Sterne (67) and Belgian Ryder Cup hopeful Thomas Pieters (71) are at nine under. Pieters matched the course record with a 62 in the first round.