	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WGC DELL MATCH PLAY

March 25, 2016

Patrick Reed

Austin, Texas

Q. You made it look pretty easy. Has it been as easy as it looked?
PATRICK REED: I wish. It's one of those things that I feel like my game is where it needs to be at this point. For some reason, I've been getting off to quick starts and keeping the pressure on the guys. One thing I made sure I did today and yesterday that I didn't do against Berger on the first round is hit more fairways.

Even though it didn't look like it early, Phil kind of gave me the first two by making some big numbers there. From that point on, once we got to hole four, I started turning on my game, started hitting quality golf shots and making some putts. At that point that's where I needed to put the foot down, especially on a guy like Phil. He can make a run.

To make the turn up at six and then go to the 10th hole and he hits a good wedge shot in there, really I was hoping to hit this close, make birdie to halve the hole. I don't want to give him any momentum. If you give him an inch, he can take it for who knows how long. I read that one perfectly, had the right distance and holed out from the fairway to make eagle to go from 6 to 7-up.

From that point I was like, all right, let's just go on cruise control, try to make some pars, try to cruise in and close off the victory.

Q. Did he say anything to you after you holed that shot?
PATRICK REED: He looked back, smiled, chuckled, kind of gave me a fist pump. I felt like he was a little surprised, especially with -- he had a rough start on 1 and 2, gave me those holes for pars. On 3, I hit the wall, ended up down there in the hazard, got it up an downed for a halve. I made a putt up and over the ridge on 4 to win the hole. He struggled on 5. He gave me my birdie. Pouring in the putt on 6 for eagle. Kind of seemed like, made a long putt on 8 for par to halve that hole. Then holing out on 10. It almost kind of felt like he was in that situation where there was nothing he could have done at that point. Everything was kind of falling in place where things were going my way. I was hitting some quality golf shots.

I felt like that was key once I got off to that early lead, even though we weren't playing solid was to turn around quickly and make some birdies and really put the pressure on him.

Q. I know every match is the same and it's about getting to the weekend, but do you get extra jacked up to play a guy like Phil?
PATRICK REED: No, not really. I go to play anybody, no matter who it is, especially when you are playing a guy like Phil, you know you have to play your best golf. Any time you are playing here at a World Golf Championship, any one of these guys, if they are on your game, is going to be tough to beat. Doesn't matter if you're No. 1 in the world or No. 64 in world. Any guy who is on this week is a guy that is going to battle.

I felt like Phil was a tad off early. And on hole 1, I was struggling. I was staring at a ten-footer for par in my face. He made double, so he just -- he told me pick it up, let's go to the next. His drive, if it goes five yards more right than that, he's in the middle of the fairway instead of catching the hazard. Those two holes were kind of cruise control.

It's just one of those things, if you get a gift like that you need to capitalize, especially early like that. I knew that I needed to put the pedal down and get as big a lead as possible. You don't want to have 2-up with two or three or four holes left because anything can happen at that point. These guys, they can flip a switch. Next thing you know, hit one good golf shot, get that confidence, rally off three birdies in a row on you.

Q. Not trailing any match so far this week. What does that do for you mentally?
PATRICK REED: It's always good. Any time you can go and not be down ever is nice. It only gets harder from here. Obviously the guys who make it to the weekend are the guys playing the best right now. That's just one of those things you need to keep trying to get off to a fast start, make some birdies, make some quality golf shots, keep the pressure on the other guy. I feel like I've done that really well early. Any time you get that, you get a comfortable state and are able to attack a little bit more.

Q. Do you feel fresher mentally?
PATRICK REED: A little bit. Really, I don't really think as much on who I'm playing and where I am in a match, on really just my game. I know if I hit the ball well, I hit my targets, I'm going to have good looks at birdies. If I hit my lines on putts, I'm going to make some. That's the key around here, just making birdies and keeping pressure on the guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297