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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

March 6, 2020

Patrick Reed

Orlando, Florida

Q. How hard was the golf course playing the last two days?
PATRICK REED: Yesterday it was brutal. Today early on in the morning it seemed to be a little bit more challenging because it was opposite winds, it was a little cooler, and the fairways didn't quite have the bite that yesterday had, so it seemed like you had a lot longer shots into the green.

But as a whole to go be 4-under par, of course I would like it to be a little better, but I'm still in this golf tournament.

Q. Is this a golf course where you know you're going to make some bogeys, just got to try to avoid the big number?
PATRICK REED: Yeah, for sure. My short game today saved me a lot and even yesterday my short game helped me a little bit. But this is a golf course that if you hit one poor golf shot you're going to pay for it. And I think that's what's an amazing test about this place is you have to hit quality golf shots here. Your good golf shots get really rewarded and your bad golf shots go the opposite direction. So you got to be mentally tough and mentally patient out here.

Q. Yesterday, I know you mentioned a couple times you hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in. You made a couple long ones these last two days. Is it just a matter of just kind of matching up the speed, the wind, and everything?
PATRICK REED: Yeah, that's the biggest thing. I feel like I've hit a lot of really good putts yesterday. And then also today I feel like I hit a lot of really good putts that just seemed to burn edges whether they were high or low. The speed is just a hair off for the line or the wind is not good compared to the line. So it's one of the other. I feel like we're rolling it well. That's all you can do. And the biggest thing is just to match that speed up a little better.

Q. How difficult were conditions this morning to what you faced yesterday afternoon? A pair of 70s so far.
PATRICK REED: I think the biggest thing was the wind was still blowing really hard today, opposite direction obviously, so it played a lot differently. But it was a lot cooler, so the ball wasn't quite traveling, the fairways weren't quite as firm, so the ball wasn't getting that very hard rollout. So it was just something that you had to adapt to. And, yeah, today I just didn't really hit it that great. I was kind of sloppy from tee to green, but I was able to make some putts and I was able to kind of eliminate the big number.

Q. It was a brilliant win in Mexico. What part of your game do you feel is really producing the goods for you?
PATRICK REED: I feel like my short game is where it needs to be, but then at the same time, I feel like my driver and my tee shots are pretty solid. Yeah, when I do miss a fairway, I've been missing it in the correct spots, so I'm still able to get to the green or attack the hole. And in the past if I missed a fairway, it could be either way and it could be in the wrong spot. So I feel like I've better at being able to miss it in the correct spots whenever I do miss and give myself a chance to at least make par.

Q. It seems, I've been watching you in Mexico and also this week so far as well, strong body language, did a lot of talking with your clubs. You're up to world No. 9 now, back towards the top of your game. Have you changed your goals and ambitions with the way you returned to form this year?
PATRICK REED: No, not really. My goals already as a competitor are already way up there, very high. So for me it is just continue plugging along, continue to work on the things that we have been working on on my golf swing. I feel like we have been doing things really well and I have a clear picture. I think that's the biggest thing in golf. You have a clear picture of what you need to do and then how you need to do it. So when things are kind of going a little haywire you're kind of able to go back to your game plan and blueprint to fix it. In the past I feel like that hasn't been as clear as it needed to be as it is now.

Q. We're through 36 holes here. You're 4-under. Reasonably satisfied?
PATRICK REED: Yeah, anytime you can play this golf course and shoot two rounds under par, you're happy. But today was just sloppy. It wasn't, the ball striking wasn't where it needed to be, missed some of the putts I felt like I should have made. But at the end of the day, I was making some long putts and some crucial putts that I needed to make as well. So I'm in a good spot. Just, hopefully the leaders today and this afternoon don't get too far ahead. But we're still in this golf tournament and I did what I had to do on the first two days and now I have to go out and shoot two low rounds on the weekend and see what happens.

Q. How did the conditions compare with yesterday this morning?
PATRICK REED: Well it's still really windy this morning, but I think the biggest thing was it was cold early this morning, so the ball wasn't quite travelling and opposite wind direction. So when you have opposite wind directions around here and you have that north wind a lot of the holes seem to play a little longer. And because there was that cloud cover and it was cooler the fairways never really got baked out today, it didn't really get that firm and fast on the fairways so the ball just wasn't chasing as a far. But just an adjustment that you normally know you have to make from a morning to an afternoon, but it was definitely blowing a lot harder than I expected this morning and just set up a lot more of a challenge for all of us.

Q. What does it say about where your game is right now that you can say you played sloppy today and yet still be able to post a score under par?
PATRICK REED: My game's great right now. I've been hitting the ball well, I feel like I'm putting well, I think that's the biggest thing is I feel like my short game's been pretty sharp for the most part and because of that, if it is a little sloppy on iron shots or tee shots, I'm able to get away with it because I can save myself on short game. And I feel like I was able to do that today. Definitely would have liked to hit it a lot closer than I did, but I was able to make putts when I kind of needed to and roll in a couple long ones.

Q. (No Microphone.)
PATRICK REED: For me it makes it me even more hungry to get back to that kind of situation where you have a chance to win a golf tournament late Sunday. Just that adrenaline and those kind of nerves and those pressure situations, as a competitor and as an athlete you love those situations, you want to be in them as many times as you can. So for me it almost has me work harder and try to get back to that point so I can get that feeling again.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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