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TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 20, 2019

Patrick Reed

Atlanta, Georgia

THE MODERATOR: Patrick Reed, No. 4 in the FedExCup standings, beginning our season finale here at the TOUR Championship.

Patrick, opening comments about here at the final season.

PATRICK REED: It's great to be back. I think the biggest thing is two weeks ago sitting at No. 50 was kind of looking bleak, looked like I had to go out and play some really good golf, and to go out and win the first FedExCup event and to get myself in position now to have a legitimate shot at winning this golf tournament, it's going to be fun to step up and play the new format.

Q. How much different of a golf course is this compared to last week and then Liberty National as well?
PATRICK REED: I would say it's probably closer to Liberty than last week. Last week there was a lot of tee shots. You had to hit high and kind of cover corners or trees. It seems like this week is more of getting the ball in play, getting in the fairway because the rough is nasty. If you're playing from the short grass here, you can really go low, but if you're playing from the rough all day, it's going to be a long test. It's one of these golf courses that, what you see is what you get. Go out and hit quality golf shots. Give yourself putts at it and try to roll in some.

Q. Would it be a blow to the ego at all if you lost to someone who you were spotting strokes to?
PATRICK REED: Never really thought of that but, no, not really. At the end of the day, you're still going out and trying to play the best round of golf that you can. Whether you start at even par or whether you start at 10 under par, if you're playing the best golf that you're supposed to be playing, then it shouldn't matter what kind of lead you have over anybody or anything like that. You should still be able to win the golf tournament.

Q. When's the last time you got strokes?
PATRICK REED: Probably when I was like 5 or 6. I'm always used to playing in tournaments with guys, okay, you're a plus 4. That's like -- all right. All of a sudden you have a hole and you go, yeah, I made birdie there. No, you made par. This time at least it goes the other direction, so I'm going to start six ahead.

Q. Patrick, if you had won the Masters this year, you would have gotten fewer than one-third as many points as you got for winning the Northern Trust. Is that how it should be given the legacy that the Masters and other Majors present?
PATRICK REED: I think the biggest thing is -- I think the TOUR is trying to put emphasis on playoffs. You win, you move on. You lose, you don't. If you're that 125th guy coming in, if it was, say, 700 points, you probably don't make it to the following week. So I think the reason why they inflate the points so much is to make it interesting to put emphasis on the last three events where you have to go out and win in order to have a chance of winning the FedEx.

Because just like any sport, if you make it to -- and college basketball, for example, you make it to March Madness, your record means nothing when you get to the tournament. It's go win the day, win your match, and move on. If you lose, it doesn't matter how you do it. If you lose, you're not moving on.

Q. So you don't mind if your Astros don't get to the World Series this year?
PATRICK REED: My Astros, I think they'll be all right. I think they look pretty good right now.

Q. Do you prefer the point system -- the system of under par to the point system, which was so confusing that nobody understood what was going on?
PATRICK REED: I think it's hard to say whether it's better or not because we haven't played it yet. Just that first time -- just at first glance and everything, I think what it does, for the player's side, there's a lot more clarity. When we come in this week, we know where we need to be and what we need to get to because the leader board tells you. You're not sitting there being like, okay, I have a chance of winning this golf tournament, but I need player A to finish here. I need player B to finish there.

Now, all of a sudden, you're sitting there, and you don't know what's going on on that aspect. So with them simplifying it and having kind of this staggered start, you know at the beginning of the week basically where you need to get to and what you need to pass in order to win.

Q. Along those same lines, Patrick, given how simple it is now, just knowing if you win, you win it all, it makes it very, very simple. Looking at your record on this golf course, does it change up your strategy at all to be a little more aggressive regardless of how you're starting?
PATRICK REED: I would think early on in the week it doesn't. That's kind of one of those things, come down midway through Saturday's round or throughout Sunday's round, depending on where you stand on, how aggressive do you want to play to try to make up shots or vice versa. It definitely could change it a little bit later on in the week. But early on, you've got to go out and play good golf no matter what. It doesn't matter if you're starting at 10 under par or starting at even par, the only way you're going to win a golf tournament is by playing the best golf and better than everybody that week.

With having guys start at more under par than others, it really puts a premium on really going low. You know, I mean, I like events. I've always enjoyed trying to go out there and go low and win the days. Really that's what it's going to take is go and win each day.

Q. Patrick, obviously, the prize money is kind of secondary at the Masters, but here do you look at the number that's up for grabs on Sunday and just think, whoa, that's a big number?
PATRICK REED: We all know it's a big number, but at the end of the day, as competitors, we're out there trying to get hardware. We're going out there to try to win a golf tournament. Whatever comes with it is great, but at the end of the day, we're trying to go win a golf tournament and hold up a trophy because that's what we've always played for. We've always played for trophies growing up and everything. We've always wanted to win trophies. Whether you're professional or amateur, it's the same thing. You're going out and trying to win the tournament.

Q. (No microphone)?
PATRICK REED: I haven't, no. I've played for $10 million every year, but never for 15. So it's going to be interesting.

Q. What was the last communication you had with Tiger regarding the Presidents Cup?
PATRICK REED: It would have been the dinner that we had at Liberty.

Q. Not since then?
PATRICK REED: No, not since that. We've talked golf, and he always says congratulations after the win and stuff like that. But actual Presidents Cup talk, nothing since the dinner. You know, really, it's so far away that he just wants the guys to go out and play good golf. You know, whoever's playing well is going to go, and whoever's not is not going to go. So it's one of those things that we just have to go out and do our job, and that's play good golf and have chances on Sundays to win golf tournaments.

Q. Would it mean any more to you to be on this team because it's the first one captained by him?
PATRICK REED: It would always be nice to be able to play and represent your country, especially with him being the captain. But really the only thing I can control right now is this tournament and this week and playing golf. I think that's one thing that I've always done is, instead of trying to look so far ahead in making certain teams, you take care of each week and play good golf, and that will all take care of itself.

Q. Patrick, just going back to your starts here at East Lake, how would you kind of evaluate your previous performances here. Did you play a lot here when you were in college?
PATRICK REED: The first time I ever played here was the tournament here. I'd never played it before, and I think the biggest thing is just getting comfortable. For me, getting comfortable, not only lines off tees, but also how far the ball goes. My irons, for some reason, just seem to go forever. So it's just kind of getting comfortable with hitting the ball farther because we're not -- it's the same kind of heat I get in Houston. We're not that much higher than Houston, so it's not really that much elevation. But it just seems like I hit it miles here.

It's just get used to the numbers, get comfortable with the numbers, and just go out and have a good game plan and attack it.

Q. You played with Cantlay in the Zurich. What was the start of that relationship? What's the genesis of the friendship and what makes you guys a good partnership?
PATRICK REED: PC and I played junior golf together and amateur golf, so I knew him back when we were younger. And he asked if I wanted to play at Zurich, and I thought it would be a great idea. We've always just enjoyed each other's company and enjoyed each other's competitiveness and gone out and had a lot of fun at Zurich.

To see how he's playing, for him to make the Presidents Cup team is awesome. It's awesome for him. Hopefully, I can continue playing some good golf and get back there and be on the same team.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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