LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL SERIES: BEDMINSTER

July 30, 2022

Patrick Reed

Henrik Stenson

Trump Bedminster

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have Henrik Stenson and Patrick Reed.

Q. Henrik, you're going into tomorrow with a three-shot lead. How pleased have you been with your play this week?

HENRIK STENSON: Like I said yesterday, I played really solid. Today I definitely didn't have my best, but I was hanging in there. It was tougher conditions with the wind. It's a tough golf course, and the greens are extremely quick and quite undulated. With the wind it's even harder to put the ball in the perfect spots, and yeah, it was a bit of a grind at times, and then we kind of came through with some really good shots and made some nice putts.

Yeah, I didn't have a good start dropping two. It was a good double in the end on the 3rd after hitting it in the bushes and fought my way back. Overall I'm pleased, and we're at the races.

Q. Henrik, I don't know if you noticed it, but there's a lot of music being played out there on the course. Going into tomorrow's tee box on No. 1, do you have a personal sound track or a song that you would like to be played? For me it would be Back Street Boys' "I Want It That Way."

HENRIK STENSON: I don't know. I mean, something from ABBA, right? We had the Ikea thing going the other day, so I guess we're going for ABBA now.

Q. On the first tee at 1:15, have you ever stepped up to a first tee with parachuters, President Trump, Greg Norman, music, all kinds of noise in your careers? That was quite an interesting first tee, would you say?

HENRIK STENSON: Absolutely, it was pumping. Fans were having a good time, and it was very lively, and yeah, off we go, 1:15.

PATRICK REED: I mean, the only place you'll see that was on a LIV Golf event. That thing was unreal. That's the whole thing, ever since I've been out here, ever since Portland, it just seems to get better and better every single day, just little things here and there. Having President Trump on the box, having three parachuters, watching the American flag come down as well as having Greg Norman out there, it doesn't get any better.

Q. Would you say this was LIV's best day so far?

PATRICK REED: It's hard to say considering how I played, but --

Q. But with all the fans --

PATRICK REED: I think with how the fans were, the fans were definitely a lot more energized today. I thought they were great yesterday, and they seemed to go next level today. Whenever you add music, add great golf at a golf course that guys are grinding on and knowing that they have to get in position because tomorrow is the last round, it just gets the players more intensified, ready to go, motivated, and when that happens, fans will feed off of that. They seem to be out there really vocal, really ready to go, and trying to will guys for birdies and just giving something to cheer about.

Q. Patrick, as a fellow "Sweaty Boy," I regretted wearing all black today. On what hole today did you regret wearing all black?

PATRICK REED: Never. I'm from Houston. This is cool compared to --

Q. You weren't hot out there at all today?

PATRICK REED: Outside, no. Inside with how I was playing, oh, yeah.

Q. Is it because you were next to the Ice Man?

PATRICK REED: Of course he kept me cool all day. It definitely showed, didn't it?

HENRIK STENSON: I think the sweat stains on your cap tells us otherwise.

Q. Henrik, I'm just curious how difficult the last week or so has been for you, and is the golf course a little bit of an oasis for you where you're focusing on golf and not some of the criticism you're taking with the Ryder Cup stuff?

HENRIK STENSON: Yeah, it's certainly been a busy and emotional week, no question, or 10 days. But I was very happy with how I managed to channel the concentration and go out and play the best round of the season yesterday. Like I said, I didn't have my best stuff today, but I was still focused and good attitude, and that's what kept me in the ballgame. Yeah, pleased with the way I've kind of kept my head down and focused on business.

Q. Is there any part of you that has a little chip on your shoulder because of what took place with the DP Tour and their decision, and if you do win tomorrow what do you think the reaction may be in headquarters?

HENRIK STENSON: I don't know, I'm just going to focus on doing my best out there tomorrow, and we'll see where it takes us.

Q. Do you have any kind of chip on your shoulder?

HENRIK STENSON: I don't see any.

Q. Henrik, do you recall the last time you might have played a scheduled 54-hole event, and is it any different?

HENRIK STENSON: No, like I said, before the round today we had a quick interview before the first tee. It's just that if you consider 72 holes a bit of a marathon, it's a lot of golf before you're coming to the back nine on Sunday. This is obviously one round less, so it's a bit quicker to get there, and you've got to be -- I think the mindset as a player, you've just got to try and be a little bit quicker out of the box. Not that you don't want to do that on a 72-hole tournament, but when there's 54 holes, you can't just like cruise for a day and not get going because then you don't have enough holes to make that ground up.

I think you've just got to be a bit more on your toes and get ready from the get-go.

Q. I was talking to Paul Casey earlier and he was saying how it's a little different and it's taken some getting used to to not start on 1, end on 18, or start on 10, end on 9. Has that been difficult for you in your LIV experience knowing you're not always going to be starting on a normal schedule like you would?

HENRIK STENSON: No, I started on 1 today and I think I start on 1 tomorrow, so it's kind of business as usual, I think. But yeah, no question. On Friday we started on 16, and yeah, of course you can start on a bit of an easier hole, you can start on a little bit of a harder one. We know we're playing 18. You're not going to shy away from any of them. You're playing them all.

Yeah, of course it can be a little bit of a softer start or a firmer start, depending on where you start on the golf course.

Q. Patrick, anything to add?

PATRICK REED: Yeah, I think kind of what he said. I started on 18 yesterday, started on 1 today. It felt somewhat normal. When I was in Portland I started anywhere from 2 -- I think I was 2, 17 and 2, and it felt -- it doesn't feel much different. At the end of the day, you know kind of how you're going to start. You know what hole you're starting on. You know kind of what your game plan is. If you're starting on a harder hole, obviously you're sitting out there trying to get a par, which will actually build you momentum if you're starting on the hardest hole of the golf course, and if it's the easiest hole it allows you to go out and hopefully make a quick birdie and kind of get the round going. But to me you have to play all of them, so it doesn't really matter what order you have to play them in.

Q. Does it change when you're on the range working if you know you're going to start on a harder hole? Does that change your setup or your practice starting before the round?

PATRICK REED: The only thing it does for me is I've always been the type that the last four or five balls I hit I'll hit two tee shots that are that hole and then I'll hit basically two iron shots I think will be coming into the green. If it's a par-5 I'll hit six balls, the three shots I feel like I'll be hitting.

So I try to play whatever hole I'm starting on first anyway on the range, so for me it doesn't really matter. I just kind of get going.

HENRIK STENSON: I finish with a couple of 52-degree sand irons, so I've got no chance.