CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It wasn’t long ago that Patrick Reed was struggling to break par and seeking advice from a new swing coach. His struggles may be behind him. Reed played a solid round at one of the PGA TOUR’s most difficult courses to share the early lead at the Wells Fargo Championship. Reed hit 14 greens en route to a 4-under 67 at Quail Hollow Club. He was tied for the lead with Martin Laird, Nick Taylor and Adam Schenk after the morning wave ended. Reed is now 7 under in his past two rounds on the PGA TOUR. He closed his Masters defense with a 69 that was his first sub-70 round of the week. Reed was 17 over par in the six rounds preceding Masters Sunday. That stretch started with a final-round 78 at THE PLAYERS Championship. He shot 77-75 in his next start, the Valspar Championship, and was spotted working with swing coach David Leadbetter on the range. Reed’s wife, Justine, contacted Leadbetter after the first round at Innisbrook to help her husband sort out a swing that had grown excessively long. Reed also works with his longtime swing coach, Kevin Kirk. “At the top of my swing, I was getting a little long and kind of disconnected,â€� he said. “We’re just trying to feel like it stays a little shorter and a little bit more connected, and feel like it’s a little bit stronger at the top.â€� This is Reed’s first individual tournament since the Masters, where he was 1 over par after 54 holes. He finished T36 after his final-round 69. He and partner Patrick Cantlay missed the cut at last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Related: Featured Groups, tee times | Rose looks to rebound | The harsh lessons of losing can pay big dividends | Tiger’s inspiring message to Varner’s friend | Best-selling books gains popularity on TOUR Reed was bogey-free Thursday. He missed just one green on his front nine and made the turn in 35 after making birdie on the par-5 15th. He added birdies on Nos. 3, 7 and 8. The last birdie came on a 22-foot putt, his longest of the day. He didn’t make a putt longer than 3 feet on the front nine, then started his second nine by making an 18-footer for par. That was the only other putt he made from outside 10 feet. His strong ball-striking meant he didn’t need to lean on his putter. He wielded it well when necessary, gaining 2.9 strokes on the green. He was 3 for 4 on attempts from 5-10 feet. “When you’re hitting the ball well, it frees up the putter,â€� Reed said. “When you happen to miss a green, because you know how you’re hitting it, you’re a little bit more fresh.â€� Strong ball-striking is a necessity at Quail Hollow. Reed has had success here recently. He finished in the top-10 in his last two appearance here, including a runner-up at the 2017 PGA Championship. Reed has led after just one round since winning last year’s Masters, though. That was in the first round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. He is 66th in this season’s FedExCup thanks to six consecutive top-25s to start the season. His last top-25 in a stroke-play event came in February’s World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Things may be looking up after Thursday’s round, though. “I kind of got out of my way,â€� Reed said. “I stopped thinking about the golf swing and just started swinging the golf club and played golf shots.â€�
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