Tiger Woods is out with the flat stick from the first cut at the back of the 15th green. He barely touches his ball and it curls down towards the hole, but he's not borrowed enough and he'll have a tiddler for birdie.

Here's Marc Leishman for eagle. A bit more like five feet. But it's straight and he sets that right at the heart of the hole to earn himself a bit of glassware, although he'll be more happy to be moving to seven under.

Tommy Fleetwood with an excellent two-putt for birdie. Can Tiger complete a good hole for this trio? You betcha.

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Over on 14 and Henrik Stenson rolls in a lengthy birdie putt to get back to four under. He too has learned from his playing partner after Bubba Watson's effort trickled to the holeside.

It's Charley Hoffman to go first with his birdie attempt on the 13th green. You can bet your last dollar that Patrick Reed is watching this closely.

Hoffman's effort stays on the green. Here comes Reed. He has watched. He has learned. And he now leads by three.

That, incidentally, is his 18th one putt out of 31 holes. Putting for dough? Reed says yes.

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Up ahead on 15 and Marc Leishman hooks his second on to the green and this could go close. Very close. Everybody has been saying all day not to go for the pin, which is tucked on the left, on the narrowest part of the green.

Here comes the Australian's ball, scooting down the hill to three feet. Sensational.

Tommy Fleetwood need something similar but his stays out on the right edge. What can Tiger Woods do?

He too has a tree in his way and he too has a go. The ball lands on the back of the green, spins left but dribbles off. Three great shots though.

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Charley Hoffman, coming off the back of a double bogey at 12 skids in a short pitch to 20 feet on the par-five 13th.

Patrick Reed follows him, a slightly higher trajectory, but the same result. Birdie putts coming up

Patrick Reed has made his mind up on 13. A low punch through the trees, laying up short of the water. Like a skilled Victorian cotton-mill worker threading a piece of cotton through a needle eye.

Justin Thomas is loitering around at the back, jumping up and down, trying to get a glimpse of the action at the front.

A pair of birdies on 13 and 14 lift him up to tied ninth. The world number two, who is flying low under the radar this week, is four under today and two under for the week.

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But for how long will Patrick Reed keep that advantage? Not for very long judging by his tee shot on the 13th. He's got pine straws on his feet and a puzzled look on his face...

Here's something we haven't wrote all week: a bogey for Marc Leishman. The Australian misses a six footer on the par-four 14th. That opens up the gap on Patrick Reed to two shots once again.

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Patrick Reed is thinking long and hard about this par putt. Closing one eye and holding his putter an arm length in front of his body. That's when you know it's serious. Whatever that does, it works.

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Amateur Harry Ellis has racked up more doubles than a heavy drinking celebrity of your choice but he finishes in style with a majestic approach to four feet to set up a birdie at the final hole The 22-year-old Amateur Championship winner was six over for his round after four holes but made six successive pars on the back nine before the closing three, for a round of 80 and a 22-over-par total.

Charley Hoffman is going to drop a couple of shots here, I'd suggest. His play on to the 12th green from his dropping position isn't quite as splendid as Tiger's touch earlier.

Patrick Reed splashes nicely out of the bunker, giving him a chance of saving par. I'd say 70/30 in his favour.

Hoffman, off the fringe, goes left and stays left.

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Reed going over the top came after Charley Hoffman sent his ball swimming. Can Adam Hadwin bring a modicum of respectability to this group? He's looking left. He is left. That's the worst trio I've seen since 90s boy band 911 packed it in.

Henrik Stenson falls slightly off the pace after walking off the 12th with a bogey. Damage limitation there, I'd suggest.

Waiting on the tee behind him is Patrick Reed... who plops his tee-shot into the same bunker as the Swede.

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Former champion Danny Willett, who missed the cut on his defence of the title last year, could use a birdie to settle the nerves because he is on the brink at five over. At the Garcia hole, AKA the 15th, he was safely over the water in two but could only make a par-five. Two birdies and four dropped shots so far today for the world number 296.

... Reed can't keep his nerve on the 11th. Oh, he can. Steely stuff from the world number 24. He doesn't even blink, dropping his par putt straight down the middle.

Charley Hoffman does the same, with only Adam Hadwin of this intrepid trio dropping a shot on what has been Augusta's toughest challenge today.

Good news for those who want to see Tiger Woods this weekend... he's sunk his first birdie of the week on a par five.

More importantly, Marc Leishman also nails his birdie putt. The Australian confidently converts from eight feet to move within one of Reed. Unless...

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Well that didn't pay off for Hadwin. His bold effort ends up on the fringe after being slowed down by the first cut.

Hoffman has a birdie chance on the same line as Reed... can he show him the way in? Possibly. It's a good effort from Hoffman who should convert the par putt.

Reed overcooks his effort though... woah, woah. Tricky putt back up awaits the leader...

World number one Dustin Johnson was three over par after 10 holes in round one. He had three birdies and an eagle in his four-under 68 to reach halfway right in contention on three under.

The American told Sky Sports:"Even though I was through the first 10 holes at three over on Thursday, I didn't feel I was playing badly. I was never out of position.

"From there I've played a lot more solid and six under for my last 26 holes is good.

"The conditions were difficult. There was a lot more wind today and it was tough to get a good read on it. The greens are firm and fast and the pins in difficult places."

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A hole behind Stenson is leader Patrick Reed, who has shrugged off that bogey on the 10th. The American which European Ryder Cup fans love to hate cracks his drive on 11 down the middle, then sticks a mid-iron into the centre of the green. A 39-foot putt for a birdie - albeit a treacherous one downhill - awaits.

Meanwhile, Adam Hadwin is about 40 yards out to the right with a hybrid club in his hand...