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Patrick Reed shoots another 63 to lead at La Quinta

With his score and swing nearly perfect, Patrick Reed is 18 under after Round 2.stephen dunn/getty images

Patrick Reed found La Quinta Country Club to his liking, too, leaving everyone else behind again in the Humana Challenge.

A day after shooting a 9-under-par 63 at PGA West’s Arnold Palmer Private Course to take the lead, Reed had another 9-under 63 down the road Friday at tree-lined La Quinta CC to stretch his advantage to two strokes over Brendon Todd in La Quinta, Calif.

‘‘It’s great to have that feeling that you can go out and shoot 63,’’ said Reed, the Wyndham Championship winner in August. ‘‘And to actually do it two times in a row shows that what we have done during the offseason and what we’re doing now is working.”

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Todd had a 63 on the Palmer course. He’s the only player in the field without a bogey.

‘‘Obviously, both days were really solid,’’ Todd said. ‘‘Bogey-free was huge. Before I knew it, I was at 7- or 8-under with a few to play, feeling like I should birdie every hole. The weather’s been so good, I'm not surprised to see what Patrick did.’’

The temperature climbed into the 80s and it was so calm the ponds looked like glass, the water as still as the plastic swans PGA West uses to scare away geese.

The 23-year-old Reed eagled the par-5 fifth hole, hitting a high 5-iron approach that landed softly on the left side of the green and rolled to 4 feet. He also had eight birdies and his lone bogey in 36 holes.

‘‘That tee shot on 5’s not easy,’’ Reed said. ‘‘You have to hit a perfect high cut around that tree and if it goes straight, you’re actually through the fairway. You have to hit a hook around those trees. And when I hit a perfect drive like that, had a perfect number for a 5- iron to the left flag. When I hit something three-quarters or 85 percent, it’s normally a little draw, so I just aimed it in the middle of the green and hit it up to there to 4 feet. That was kind of just perfect for me.’’

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Ryan Palmer was third, three strokes back at 15 under, after a 65 at La Quinta. He also made a short eagle putt on the fifth hole.

Charley Hoffman, the 2007 winner, was 14 under after a 66 on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Private Course. He had five straight birdies on the front nine.

Bill Haas and Brookline’s James Driscoll were 13 under. Haas, the 2010 winner, had a 66 on the Nicklaus course, and Driscoll shot 63 at La Quinta.

Charlie Beljan was another stroke back, shooting 64 on the Nicklaus course.

Matt Every and playing partner Will MacKenzie are 11 under in a group that includes Kapalua winner Zach Johnson, 2005 winner Justin Leonard, and Harris English.

Every settled for a 68 on the Palmer course after playing an early five-hole stretch in 6 under with four birdies and an eagle. MacKenzie had a 66.

Former Hopkinton High star Keegan Bradley (66) had a hole-in-one that left him 9 under overall in his first start of the year. His 7-iron shot on the 177-yard third hole landed about 10 feet short of the pin and rolled in.

European — Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes to post a 5-under 67 and lie two shots off the lead after two rounds of the Abu Dhabi Championship in the United Arab Emirates.

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In a two-way tie for the lead were Craig Lee (67) and Rafa Cabrera-Bello (68) at 9 under, a stroke ahead of Danny Willett (63), who eagled the par-5 8th hole at National Course beside seven birdies.

McIlroy, at 7 under, is in contention for a second win in three tournaments — he won the Australian Open in Sydney last month.

Playing partner Phil Mickelson was happy because he made the cut, by two shots at 1 under with a 70 after a first-round 73.

‘‘I’m really glad I made the cut and I now have a chance over these next two days, because I kind of keyed in on something with my swing, starting to feel much better,’’ Mickelson said. ‘‘I really need these two days to get my game in shape.’’