Patrick Reed opens with 71 to trail by 6 in Bahrain. He adds Qatar to his European tour schedule

AL MAZROWIAH, Bahrain (AP) — Patrick Reed decided to extend his Middle East stay and then salvaged a 1-under 71 in the Bahrain Championship, where Alejandro Del Rey and Freddy Schott shared the lead at 65 when the first round was halted by darkness on Thursday.

Reed, who won the Dubai Desert Classic and then chose to leave LIV Golf so he can return to the PGA Tour, entered next week’s Qatar Masters. That would give him four straight starts in the Middle East to start the year on the European tour.

His goal now is to finish high enough in the Race to Dubai — he currently is No. 2 — to earn full status on the PGA Tour in 2027.

Reed was 1 over until birdies on consecutive par 5s on the back nine, both times hitting wedge to tap-in range to get his round back under par.

Laurie Canter, who gave up a PGA Tour card to join LIV, was among those one shot behind.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf