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THE PRESIDENTS CUPSeptember 27, 2017Patrick ReedJersey City, New Jersey Q. You're with an old friend there, you guys are so young, but you're already old buddies and seasoned hands at this. What's it like being back paired with Jordan again? PATRICK REED: It's awesome. Any time being able to play with Jordan, it just feels normal. It's like a dream come true getting my boy back on the bag and being able to kind of go out there and play some good golf. And you know, with having just as much success as we've had in the past, it's always great to see that match-up pop up and to be able to know that you're playing with someone that you have so much confidence with and also for whenever you're in any situation. Q. Do you feel like everybody on the team would want to play with him and then conversely with your success in these events, would you feel like everybody on the team would want to play with you, as well? PATRICK REED: I mean, maybe. You know, it's just kind of one of those things. I know a lot of guys would love to play with Jordan. I think they would hopefully feel the same way about me. But it's just kind of one of those things that you try to figure out who has similar personalities, who plays pretty well with each other, and kind of go off of that because match play is such a funny thing, you can be playing horribly, but just one thing, next thing you know the match is flipped and you've found it. It's the funny thing about match play, and we're just happy to be part of it and hopefully go play some good golf tomorrow. Q. Who's going to take that first swing on 1? PATRICK REED: We'll see. Q. What does it mean to you to have Tiger in your corner this week? He's a guy who you probably saw on TV before you saw him in person, and how old were you when you saw him on TV? PATRICK REED: Oh, on TV, I grew up watching him. Ever since I can remember, it was Tiger Woods dominating golf on TV. You know, just to have him in the corner means a lot. Just having him in the team room is huge. To have him be part of our little group is going to be so much fun. We had a lot of success with him following me at Hazeltine, and to get him back, it feels right. Q. I know you're going to tell me it's a great honor, and whether it's playing in the Olympics or playing here, how much different is the psyche? How much different are the nerves because you're obviously playing for a larger thing than just yourself. PATRICK REED: Well, the first tee, the first hole, whether you're hitting the first tee shot or hitting the first fairway shot, the first shot, the nerves are more. You have a little bit more jitters, but at the same time, every guy is going through it. My first time playing for our country at Gleneagles, that first tee shot and then the first tee shot last year at Hazeltine didn't feel any different. I mean, you still feel like all the oxygen is out of the room, and it's hard to pull it back. But it's awesome to have your crowd on your side, and any time you can put on red, white and blue, you look down the side line, you have 11 of your players there, teammates, it just kind of gives you that confidence and that calm feeling, let's go make our country proud. Q. We've seen Bubba do it, and I assume some other guys, but inciting the crowd -- PATRICK REED: No, no, no. Q. Not doing that? PATRICK REED: No chance. It's tough, and also when it comes down to me I'd probably get too amped up and too excited. Then I'd have no idea where the golf ball is going. I've done it at Waste Management on the par-3, 16, and one time I got them pumped up, I clubbed down two and still hit it to the back edge of the green. It's almost -- he really likes to do it, but for me I feel like if I try it, it almost gets me so amped up then I don't know where it's going to go. Q. Talk about representing your country. As you know, golf was extended through 2024 Olympics in Paris a few weeks ago. Being one of the guys that said, hey, I'm all in for Rio, what does this mean looking ahead to Tokyo, but now that we know golf's Olympic future is secure through 2024? PATRICK REED: It's huge. It's very important to have the Olympics and golf be a part of the same thing, because we're trying to grow the game, and the easiest way to grow the game is to get as many top venues as possible, Ryder Cups, Presidents Cups, Olympics, golf around the whole world. Any time we can get golf out there more exposed, then that means we can grow the game a little easier, get more kids involved, and that's all we're out here trying to do is just grow the game of golf. Q. Having a taste of Rio and obviously as talented as American golfers are, it'll never be easy, but is it something you think about a little bit? PATRICK REED: Of course. I had so much fun in Rio. It was such a blast, to go down and be one of four American golfers going down there and playing, you know, to go into that kind of environment and something completely different than anything we've done before, golf is now in the Olympics, and to be able to call yourself an Olympian and play for your country and wear all that red, white and blue, you just stand proud, and it's so much fun. Q. You're a young guy, Paris 2024 is a long time away, but Ryder Cup next year in Paris on the same course that they'll have for the Olympics. Just thoughts on down the road what might be possible? PATRICK REED: Well, yeah, of course. It's always in the back of your mind. But at the end of the day, the easiest way to get in those kind of situations, to be able to make those teams, is just focus on what you're doing right now. If you prepare how you're supposed to every week and you play how you're supposed to every week, come 2020, 2024, any of the team events, you're going to be in there. You're going to make the team. The more you start thinking ahead is when you lose track of what you're doing now, now all of a sudden you're not going to improve. Q. You guys are known as kind of the super team. Everyone expects great things from you. But when you're going up against rookies which on paper may not look like they can challenge, do you have to guard against any sort of complacency or anything like that? PATRICK REED: Not really. Jordan and I, we've always had the same kind of mindset, go out there and play the best golf we can. It doesn't matter who we're playing against, we're going after each other, and if we do that, at the end of the day, hopefully we come out on top. We're been in the situation where we were the two rooks playing the other guys, and the thing is you look at both teams, our 12 guys and their 12 guys, they're top players around the world. Whoever it is that they match up with and whoever we match up with, it's going to be a dogfight. There's no easy pushover matches. You're going to have to play good golf no matter who it is to go win your match. Q. Do you put any focus on what you expect from Si Woo and Grillo, or is it just like if we do our thing, we can't miss? PATRICK REED: Tomorrow if we do our thing, that's all we can control. You never know what they can do. Match play, they can go out and they can just play lights out, all of a sudden they're 9-under through 9, and it's like, okay, well, they've played perfect. So if we go out and just play our game, play the best we can, and if we do that and we're happy with how we played, we should be able to win a match. But it just all depends. They can do the same thing, and then it could really be a dogfight. Q. Tomorrow on the first tee when there's three former Presidents there watching you tee off, what's that going to be like? PATRICK REED: It's going to be amazing, to get the support from the Presidents to come out and watch us play, and also it's the Presidents Cup, we're playing for our country and for the Presidents, so to go out there and play golf and have them out there watching, it's going to be awesome. Q. Have you met any Presidents? PATRICK REED: Oh, yeah, I've met the Bushes, I've met the Clintons, I've met Obama, I've met Trump. I've met all of them -- well, not all of them, but all the recents. Playing at Humana, President Clinton was there. Being from Houston, Texas, President Bushes, and then winning Doral, when it was down at Doral, President Trump was there to give us the trophy. Q. Can you explain the match play dynamic between you and Jordan and for you now to become one of the expected pairings at either a Presidents Cup or a Ryder Cup? PATRICK REED: Well, I just think just the success we've had, you just kind of go out there and try to beat each other. I try to beat him, he tries to beat me, because we know if we do that, then our golf game is going to show and it's going to come out and be good enough to contend in matches and win matches. Really it's just one of those things that him and I are really comfortable playing with each other. We know how to help each other out, pick people up and also pull them back if they're getting too excited. It's just kind of one of those things that always clicked for us. Q. What is it about a team like this that brings out the best in you? PATRICK REED: Playing for my country. When you play a normal golf tournament, you're playing for yourself and for your family and for your sponsors. But when you come out to a Presidents Cup or a Ryder Cup, or like an at Olympics like I've played, you're playing for so much more. You're playing for yourself, your family, your sponsors, your teammates who are next to you, but the biggest thing is playing for your country. At the end of the day, I would hate to ever let my country down. Any time I put on that red, white and blue, just like let's go and let's go play the best golf we can and make our country proud. Q. Since you are so clearly patriotic, what do you make of what's been happening in other sports over the weekend with the protests? PATRICK REED: At the end of the day, we're out here just playing golf. You know, there's been a lot of stuff going on in the country and in the world these days, but for us, it's just we're honored to be here, honored to play the Presidents Cup, honored to play for our country. One great thing about our country, freedom of speech and freedom to do whatever you want. As long as it's not incriminating you can do what you please because that's what is our country. It's just one of those things that on my side, I mean, I love my country so much, I would never do anything to take away from that. To be able to be here and be able to wear red, white and blue, can't wait for the week to get started. Q. Everybody expects the United States to win again this year, so what would a win mean to you guys, and what would a defeat mean to you? PATRICK REED: Oh, winning means a lot. If we go out and we win, that just means that we went out and did our job. But a defeat would just mean either we didn't play well enough or they played better. You look at our team, we've got a really strong team. But you look at their team, they've got a strong team, too. It's a funny format, match play, that it's just whoever is playing great that day. It's not who's playing great for four days. You play great during two hours, you win a match, there's a point. With only 15 and a half points to win, a lot can happen. Yeah, really we're not too focused on what's going to happen on Sunday afternoon at the end. We're all focusing on tomorrow morning, going out and getting off to a hot start, playing some good golf, and kind of taking it day by day, shot by shot, and seeing how it ends up at the end. Q. Not every match is going to get to the 18th hole, but there is a par-3 there; what do you think of that? PATRICK REED: It's different. There's going to be a lot of excitement on it if it gets to 18. If it gets to 18 if you're one down and they tuck a pin, you're going to have guys go for it. But at the same time, with how that green is on 18, you try to play that safe shot, it's not an easy two-putt putting from 35, 40 feet away on that green because there's a lot of sleep. A lot can happen on that hole, but hopefully you can go out and close it out earlier. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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