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THE 147TH OPEN

July 21, 2018

Patrick Reed

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

Q. What was it like out there today?
PATRICK REED: It was definitely gettable. It was one of those days that you can go out and really attack it. It's softer conditions because of the rain. And then on top of it, being early in the morning where the greens are really pure, really smooth and the wind being down, it was one of those golf courses that yesterday or the day before, even with pins close to edges, even if you have wedges, the ball seemed to skip. Couldn't really get it really, really close to some of the flags. So you had to rely on making putts.

Today looked like this morning you had to literally go right at it. And if you hit a wedge, it was going to stop real close. It was gettable today. That's why there was a lot of birdies out there, lot of guys shooting low numbers. That's about it.

Q. How do you feel about it?
PATRICK REED: Oh, horrible. I'm not happy. I'm never really happy when I play, obviously. I always feel like there's shots I leave out there. But I feel like I missed too many putts throughout the day, and then on top of it, you know, that 15 through 17 stretch has killed me this week; killed me today too. I mean, I bogeyed 16, bogeyed 17. Shot 3-over par on 16, 1-over par on 17. I'm 2-over par on 15.

Besides that, I feel like I'm playing the golf course pretty well. You know, I just need to figure out those three holes because, you know, even the pars I make on those holes, it's having to make a putt. It's not just kind of rake it in there, tap in. It's having to make a putt of some kind of substance and some kind of length, and that's not what you want to do. Unfortunately, it turns a day like today, where 5-under with three to play, if I go and I par in, I'm pretty happy with the day. And then all of a sudden, when you bogey two of them and feel like you hit a poor iron shot on 18, it's just -- it puts a sour taste in your mouth after a day when you negotiate 68.

Q. How would you describe a course like this? If you were using one or two words to a friend of yours, what would you say? Hard? Puzzling?
PATRICK REED: I would say the way it was Thursday, when it's firm and fast, challenging. Or emotionally draining would probably be the best because the ball just seems to go different ways and bounce and roll forever and ever. A day like today, it's just a normal golf course. A day like today, you hit the ball and if it lands in the fairway, most likely it's staying in the fairway. If the ball lands in the green, it's going to stop.

Even with it playing soft, it still can give you some head scratchers out there, and that's just where mentally you have to be able to handle it. I felt like throughout the day I did pretty well. Just one putt that bounced and an iron shot that was poor that turned a day that I would be really happy with into a day that I'm really frustrated with.

Q. Great experience for young Rhys playing with the current Masters champion. Did you have something to say to him on the way around?
PATRICK REED: It was fun. I played with Rhys before, so I know him. We were just out having a good time, trying to play some good golf. I felt like early on, I felt like we were walking pretty quickly and moving pretty quickly. All of a sudden, a rules official comes out and says we're a minute behind. And we are sitting there like, huh? A minute behind, how? So it felt like we were flying.

From that point, it seemed like there was a little less talking for the next couple holes trying to get that minute back. Besides that, we had a good time. We enjoyed our company out there, and we were both just trying to go out there and shoot as low as we could.

Q. Did you play with him in college golf?
PATRICK REED: A little bit in college golf, and before that, a little bit of junior golf as well.

Q. What in your mind is the most challenging part about the closing holes here?
PATRICK REED: Well, 16 it seems like you either hit the green or you're making bogey, at least for me. The ball feeds off left or feeds off right. It's all over the place around that hole.

You know, 15, I just haven't hit -- I've hit just too many loose tee shots to the right on 15. You can hit it 40 yards left and be okay. You're just in the left rough, and you can hit it short of the green and roll up on. I know that, but I still hit it right.

Besides that, if you get the ball on the fairway, they're not that hard. That's the biggest thing. If you get in the fairway on 15, you get in the fairway on 17 and 18, they're gettable holes. If you're just off the fairway on those holes, it's so challenging. If you don't hit the green on 16 with how that green is, it's difficult.

But a day like today and a day like yesterday where it's a little softer, you can get away with maybe a loose shot here and there on one of those. But like how it was on Thursday, with how firm and fast it is. If you barely miss a green or you barely miss a fairway there, you're toast.

Q. Are these majors mentally in any way different for you now that you have won one?
PATRICK REED: No. I would say it's -- mentally, it's differently from PGA. Going into the PGA, yeah, I wasn't playing -- I didn't play majors very well, and I just kind of remind myself that, hey, it's just a golf tournament. So why not just try and treat it like a normal event and see how you do. Having a chance to win and finishing second there, I just took that mindset into Augusta.

The only difference was at Augusta I was in a lot better form. I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball that well in PGA. I was able to finish second. And going into Augusta with that mindset, I was able to free up and just play golf. Now I just treat them like they're normal events.

I'd be sitting here saying the same exact thing being as frustrated I am just because I finished, whether it was a PGA TOUR, Monday qualifier, regular event, it doesn't matter. It's not fun when you bogey two of the last three.

Q. A hard week. Finishing second gave you the confidence of knowing you could win because you'd been able to do that?
PATRICK REED: It gave me confidence knowing that I had the game to win one because I felt like I wasn't playing well but was able to finish second. And it also gave me the confidence that I needed to go in there thinking a different way. There wasn't things I had to change in my golf game. It was just the way I approached it and how I thought about the tournament that I needed to change. Not put so much pressure on myself and just go out and play golf.

Q. Your paths have diverged a lot since the early days, when you first met Rhys. You said you met in junior golf.
PATRICK REED: I think it was -- I think I played against him in the Junior British, I believe. And I also played with him in a couple of events. I came over here and played, and he played some amateur events back in the States, and I played with him as well.

I've played with him quite a bit.

Q. So when you were about 16 probably?
PATRICK REED: Probably around there, yeah.

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