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WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS

October 25, 2018

Patrick Reed

Shanghai, China

Q. What a tremendous round you had, 64 out there today in the wind. Tough conditions. What were your keys?
PATRICK REED: I think the biggest thing was knowing how windy it was going to be today, just get the ball in the fairway. You can attack this golf course if you're playing from the short grass.

I feel like I've done a lot of really good work, especially with the driver and 3-wood. The driver was under full control today and I was able to hit a lot of fairways. Because of that, I was able to hit a lot of greens.

Q. You say you've done a lot of work yet this is your first start since The Ryder Cup. What have you been doing at home?
PATRICK REED: Really I just took off a couple days and from that point my coach and I have been out there fine tuning everything. Just trying to set goals to finish the year off right.

Q. Lovely bogey-free 64 first round. How was that for you?
PATRICK REED: Feels great. To be able to come out here and to be first event back, and to feel like I hit the ball really solid, I had full control, especially with how windy it was today.

To only miss two fairways and to miss one green, but the green I missed I was on the fringe and I was able to putt.

It felt really good, because if you can go out and shoot rounds like that in these kind of conditions, you know you're going to have confidence when the wind dies down and there are perfect condition out there.

Q. What effect was the wind?
PATRICK REED: The wind helped me obviously. When the wind starts blowing like it was today, I mean, it was pumping out there. It was blowing a 13, 14, with gusts up to probably two to two and a half clubs. Because of that, how well you have to hit the ball around this golf course, not just off the tee but iron shots, it makes it very challenging mentally to stay in it. Because you're going to end up getting a bad break and you're going to end up hitting some bad ones that end up having a good break. You just need to be able to right the ship and scratch it around today and try to shoot something under par and hopefully you're going to get hot, and I was able to do that.

Q. What do you think key was?
PATRICK REED: My ball-striking. I was hitting the ball really solid. I was hitting irons where I was looking, and I was able to control, it not only directional-wise, but also trajectories and what kind of heights I wanted to hit.

You know, I felt like that was key because when it's windy like that, you have to have full control over it and I was able to do that.

Q. Brilliant start to the WGC event. What was going right for you out there?
PATRICK REED: Just about everything. Felt like I was hitting the ball really solid. Was hitting the ball where I needed to, and you know, around this place, it's key to get the ball in the fairway. When it was as windy as it was, and to only miss two fairways, both from being on par 5s where you know it's not really going to hurt you because you can lay up and hit a wedge shot into the green.

You know, I felt like getting the ball off the tee was key for me and also I was hitting my irons really well. I've been hitting them really well now for the past couple weeks and just kind of continued into today. You know, it's always nice to be able to hit the ball solid and see a couple putts go in early. From that point on, you feel like you have all the confidence in the world.

Q. This is your first start in the new FedExCup season. What have you been working on that attributed to today?
PATRICK REED: You know, really just making sure everything stays kind of where it was when I finished up the year, and just kind of try to get the consistency just a little better and a little tighter. Because I felt like last year I was doing a lot of things really well, just had to put everything together at once. I was able to do that today and was able to go low.

Q. We're a long way from home and this is your first start. How were you able to adapt to the travel so quickly?
PATRICK REED: Well, I think the biggest thing is for some reason, I never have an issue coming over. It's when I go home, I struggle when I go home. I was able to get in Sunday night because I didn't play last week. So because of that, I was able to get in a little earlier and was able to kind of adapt.

I fell like yesterday was kind of that turning point. Feeling really good just physically, mentally and everything.

Q. How is your feeling after getting this very good scorecard?
PATRICK REED: You know, it feels great. To come out, when this golf course is calm, it's hard to play bogey-free. To go out and have the conditions we had today where the wind was blowing really hard, and to be able to feel like I had full over it: Hit almost every fairway and hit every green but one, and to be able to play bogey-free just gives me confidence going into the rest of the week.

Q. What is your expectation for this week?
PATRICK REED: You know, really just need to keep on taking it day by day and try to shoot the lowest round I can each day. You know, hopefully shoot a couple more of these rounds. I think that will help me out.

Q. What is your strategy tomorrow?
PATRICK REED: I'm just going to go out and depending on what the conditions are, depending on what the wind direction is, just stick to my game plan and go out and play what my game plan is on every hole, and you know, just hit the ball, go try to find it and try to get the ball in the hole as fast as I can.

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