TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 5, 2021

Patrick Reed

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How do you feel now after playing this week?

PATRICK REED: I definitely feel way better than -- I honestly didn't know how I was going to feel coming in. Even though Monday was the first time swinging a club and my first time putting myself through it to see if I could come out and attempt it. But I knew how difficult of a golf course this was and how hard of a walk this is and the grind, I felt better every day. Felt stronger every day and really yesterday and today I felt great out there.

My legs were fine. Just need a couple more reps. There was some rust on there, but I made a lot of good golf swings. Felt like I've progressed a lot better than I anticipated, and honestly I look forward to getting back home and getting back to work.

Q. Do you think you've shown to your satisfaction and to Stricker's satisfaction that you're going to be fine in a couple weeks?

PATRICK REED: I mean, I hope so. I definitely feel like I am way ahead of where I would say everyone expected me to be health-wise, and also I felt like the game was a lot closer than the score kind of anticipated. With not playing for a while, you expect a couple loose shots here and there, but as a whole, I felt like the way my health was as well as the way my golf game was, it was way -- I'm way ahead of schedule now. To be able to have two weeks at home to grind and get ready, I have no doubt if I'm on the team I'll be ready and be 100 percent.

Q. Taking time off, what's the hardest thing about it?

PATRICK REED: Judging distance on hitting different shots. When you're on the driving range, even if you're hitting it, say, a 150-yard shot, there's no bunkers or hazards or anything to look at. When you get out there you and haven't played in a while, it's actually seeing golf shots and hitting those shots because where they put the pins, you're trying to land the ball within a yard or two of these areas and that's the big, biggest thing that shows, is when you come back is trying to be able to judge that distance on different golf shots you're trying to hit.

Q. In terms of Stricker, will you send him videos of you doing push-ups all week? What will you do?

PATRICK REED: That would be great, a couple workouts, yeah. My phone will be open. I'll text him obviously today and just kind of let him know how I felt throughout the week, just want to talk to him on Wednesday, told him I would keep him updated on how I feel and how everything went and things like that.

To come out and really not pick up a club since Monday, and Tuesday was driving in a car for 15 hours, and then Wednesday playing nine holes, to come out and kind of play like I did, I mean, of course I wish I had the two 6-irons back, the one on 15 and 16 today, that cost me three shots, but besides that, I felt like as a whole, everything's progressing a lot better and a lot faster.

Started getting my speed back the last two days. It's not 100 percent all the way back, but you know, it's a lot faster than what it was. I mean, started actually playing East Lake the last two days with normal distances, and when I was here Wednesday, I was sitting there going, like, man, might as well take all the short irons, put them in the car and get a bunch of hybrids because I was hitting hybrids and 7-irons. I had one 7-iron on the front nine. Everything else was 6, 5, 4 iron and I hit a hybrid.

Just to see the progression and also to see my driving, I feel like I'm driving the ball better now than I was back before all this happened, which is always positive because for me get it on the short grass, I can attack the golf course.

Q. Has Stricker had a presence, or has he tried to stay away so the Ryder Cup is not looming?

PATRICK REED: I saw him on Wednesday for a short period of time but at the same time, I drove in Tuesday. So first time me actually being at the golf course was Wednesday, and you know, Captain is not going to hang around Thursday through Sunday. He's going to be out Wednesday probably.

Yeah, I mean, it was awesome to see him and say "hi" but we knew what our job was, to go out and try to see how our body and how we play.

Q. Who drove you?

PATRICK REED: Carriage Services. Me, Kessler and my coach, Kevin. We were in one of those luxury vans. We first looked it up and said it's supposed to take 11 hours, 46 minutes. But you know those things, to go 55, 60, the speed limit, so you're just watching that time go the wrong way. Took us 15 hours on the nose to get here.

Q. What did you watch?

PATRICK REED: I didn't watch anything. I kind of just hung out, talked a little bit. Tried to sleep a little bit. Play a little bit of cards. Just kind of talked about what to kind of expect this week because the biggest thing was coming into the week, real cautious on how I was going to feel, how my oxygen level was going to do and how my health was.

When I was out there, basically, after Thursday, I went from a cautious light to a green light to let's go and let's grind because I felt fine. I feel fine. I feel normal how you would after a Sunday. Feel a little fatigued but besides that, I feel fine. That's the biggest thing is I feel healthy enough to go out and grind and get ready.