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THE BARCLAYS

August 27, 2016

Patrick Reed

Farmingdale, New York

Q. 71 today, how do you assess that?
PATRICK REED: I just didn't hit the ball very well today. My tee shots were off, hanging right. Felt like I got absolutely nothing out of my round.

Q. When you haven't had your best stuff, but you are one back heading into Sunday --
PATRICK REED: Actually I feel great. I don't really know why the driver was kind of hanging a little bit today. Any time I tried to hit my draw, seemed like it went right. That's really the only thing I feel like I need to fix. You can't play out of the rough here and I felt like I was playing out of the rough all day. Shooting even par isn't that bad of a score -- I'm right in it. All I need is a Monday round tomorrow and I'll be right in it.

Q. The front nine was kind of up-and-down?
PATRICK REED: I felt like I was putting well all day, especially early on, nothing was going in. That one finally jump started -- I hit quality golf shots after that point.

Q. 17, as well, you did have a few things to say to the crowd and it certainly motivated you for this shot.
PATRICK REED: It was kind of one of those that I knew exactly what I needed to do and how I needed to hit the golf shot. Once I got the crowd to actually be quiet and step up, hit a quality 6-iron in there. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make the putt but I felt like I hit two quality golf shots and a really good putt there.

I lived in Pittsburgh for quite some time when I was younger, so I knew how boisterous they can be out here. It's good. It's good for the game. You can really feed off of the good energy that they give. If you get on a hot streak, then all of a sudden they get louder and louder and it becomes very fun and interesting. Unfortunately I wasn't able to give them much to cheer about.

Q. Your season, nine Top-10s; do you feel ready now to turn that consistency into your first win of the season?
PATRICK REED: I'm ready. I've been ready, felt like all year. I need to put four rounds together. I really felt like I put two out of three rounds together this week so far, and still only one back.

Normally when you have a round like this when I did today, it just kills the tournament. You end up being four or five back going into the final round and to only be one back, I feel like I'm in great position. I'm in the final group tomorrow. Go in and put some pressure on Rickie and hopefully both of us kind of separate ourselves on the back and play some good golf.

Q. You finished the day where you started, 8-under par for the tournament. How would you describe your round?
PATRICK REED: Rough. It was one of those days that I hit no fairways. Everything, the driver, seemed to hang right on me. Everything else seemed to cooperate. I was able to turn every other club in the golf bag and kind of hit the shots I'm looking for. Every driver I seemed to hit was in the right rough or right bunkers, and I just felt like I had to hack out of the rough all day.

To actually turn and finish the day at even par, it actually wasn't that bad of a day. I felt like I missed a couple putts toward the end that I should have made that could have turned an even par day into a 3-under day. But besides that, I'm right in this golf tournament. I've been preaching to myself all year that you need to put four rounds together and I put two out of three rounds together so far.

Normally when you shoot even par on a Saturday, you're three, four back going into Sunday, and you almost have to shoot 62, 63 to win a golf tournament. Luckily I'm only one back. Can go out, put some pressure on Rickie and hopefully we both kind of separate ourselves from the pack and play some good golf.

Q. You were 2-over through six and looked like your round could go really sideways and you battled back coming in. What were the key?
PATRICK REED: Really just made a couple putts. 7, the par 5, as long as you hit the fairway, it's almost like a par 4. I hit a perfect drive there. That was probably felt like my best drive of the day and ended up barely going through in the rough. I just chased it up there short of the green, easy up-and-down. To make a quality put on 9, to turn at even par is huge around here, because that front nine is gettable, and you have to go out and shoot a number on the front. If you make the turn at 1-over par, going to 10,11, 12, it's a tough stretch. Felt like on the back nine, I either hit the fairway or I got myself close enough where I wasn't having to hack. I was able to actually advance the golf ball.

Q. In a weird way, does this give you momentum, knowing you were hacking around the front nine and were able to get in at even going into tomorrow?
PATRICK REED: Yeah, you know, I'm definitely positive about it, because with how I felt like I hit the golf ball, it easily could have been a 4- or 5-over par round. Something clicked after I hit a good tee shot on 10.

At that point, I felt like I was hitting my irons a lot better, but I still kind of hung the driver right on 11 and 12. Finally I looked at Kess and I said when we got to 13: I'm not going to try to hit draw here. I'm just going to aim left and cut it. And I was able to get the ball in the fairway, able to hit a couple fairway shots. Really at that point, I missed a putt on 13, 15, 17, 18.

So it really could have -- realistically, probably should have made three or four of those. It should have been a 3-under par round. But I'm only one back, so we're ready to go.

Q. You battled out there today, got a little shaky in the middle of that front nine but I thought you came back nicely, nothing but pars on the back side but you had some good birdie looks, too?
PATRICK REED: The front side, the driver was hanging on me and I was just playing it seemed like out of rough on every hole and you can't really do that. On the back nine, I just said, I'm going to go ahead and play the cut off the tee and I was able to hit the fairways and give myself some good looks. That was the only club that seemed to not cooperate all day. I had a lot of good looks at the end. I hit some solid putts. They just didn't go in. If I keep on putting like that, they should fall and should be good for a good Sunday.

Q. Your thoughts going into tomorrow, you're still in the final group, just one back?
PATRICK REED: I feel great. If you were to tell me I was going to be one back doing into Sunday and would I take it, I'd say sure. 18-hole shootout, one shot is nothing, especially on a golf course like this. We go out there tomorrow and do what we do the first two days, we'll be all right.

Q. Did something happen on 17 tee there? Is that what you were saying before?
PATRICK REED: Yeah, they were a little vocal. Fans were a little vocal and they wouldn't be quiet. Just kind of one of those things that I had to wait until we could get them to quiet down. Once it was quiet, I was able to hit a quality golf shot in there. Hit a good putt but just didn't go in.

Q. What were they saying?
PATRICK REED: They were being loud. Loud and obnoxious.

Q. Is that the way they have been this whole week?
PATRICK REED: They have been great. Fans have been awesome. It's awesome to get them cheering and chanting and raving about good golf shots and stuff. You know, they have been great. They just drug that one on a little too long when we were literally over the ball, Grillo was right over the ball and they kept going. And then I was right over the ball and they continued to go. It wasn't that they were really saying anything negative or bad, it's just it was a little too long.

Q. For you and Rickie, is there anything to be said for an Olympic bounce or karma or embracing everything down there in Rio?
PATRICK REED: Huh?

Q. Is there an Olympic bounce?
PATRICK REED: I can't speak for Rickie, obviously he's playing well, if he's one ahead in the lead. I feel like I'm playing well all year. I don't really think it has anything to do with the Olympics or any other golf tournament. I just feel like I've been playing some solid golf and I just need to put one good round together tomorrow and chase Rickie down.

Q. What's that challenge like, trying to catch him, playing in the final group together?
PATRICK REED: It's one shot. That's nothing in a place like this. Really I just need to stick to my game plan, play quality golf and continue to make some putts.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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