MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 6, 2023

Patrick Reed

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you assess your round?

PATRICK REED: It was just kind of one of those frustrating days. I hit 12 out of 14 fairways. The only ones I missed were 15, barely to the right, but I was able to get a good layup there, make birdie. A bad tee shot on the last.

Besides that, I just didn't really make anything. Besides the putt on 10, which was 20 or 22 feet, I think the next closest putt I made, longest putt I made was 5 feet.

I hit a lot of greens early, just didn't make any putts. I played the par-5s all right. I was 3-under on the par-5s with one that I felt like it owes me one tomorrow on 13 with a nice horseshoe from maybe four feet.

Besides that, it was just kind of one of those up-and-down days. Didn't really get anything out of my round. Just made a lot of pars and a couple birdies and a couple dropped shots.

Q. When you see what Viktor scored in the round, does that surprise you? The score is out there?

PATRICK REED: Not at all. The golf course is very gettable. The winds aren't blowing hard. The greens are very receptive, and because there's a little moisture on them, they're not as fiery and fast as you can get.

Today is the day to go out and shoot a low number. I'm not surprised that someone is 7-under par, I can tell you that.

Q. I don't know if you've had a chance to look at the case that happened, the arbitration case in the UK.

PATRICK REED: I haven't been able to look at it.

Q. Are you aware of what the result was at least?

PATRICK REED: No. I was going to look at that and deal with all that after this week. My main focus this week is on this tournament.

Q. Patrick, could you go over the second shot you had on 18, what your options were there.

PATRICK REED: Nothing. I was trying to allow me to go up a little farther. My ball was right up against a root, and the problem was the root was on the back side, so I had to actually hit down onto it.

If there wasn't a root there, all I had to do was basically a ten-yard draw 6-iron, as long as I covered the tree by the green, had a completely wide open golf shot. But because I couldn't get basically club on ball, I had to just try to chip it down ten and hope to leave myself a good wedge number.

I thought I did. I thought I hit a good one. Obviously I stepped it off incorrectly because I hit it over the green from there.

Q. Can I clarify about the arbitration case? Will you go and read up on it now?

PATRICK REED: No. I'll be focusing strictly on this week. Once tournament week starts, especially majors, I don't look at anything, read anything. When tournament starts, I have blinders on, focus on what's going on that week, and try to go out and play the best golf I can to win a golf tournament on Sunday.

Q. What do you like most about Viktor Hovland's game?

PATRICK REED: Really every time I've played with him, he really has a lot of control with the golf ball.

Around here, there's never just a normal golf shot except maybe on the par-3s because everything is all different lies. You have ball below feet, ball above feet, downhill lies with greens elevated and the opposite, uphill lies with greens running away. Because of that, you have to have full control over what your club's doing, especially what you're trying to do through impact. I feel like Viktor has always done that really well.

If he gets going and his putter starts working, he's going to go out and do what he's doing on this golf course right now.

Q. He's been pretty honest about his struggling with the short game here and there. Is this the hardest course in the world for chipping and pitching?

PATRICK REED: If it's firm and fast for sure. Today's the day you have a chance. It's a little softer and a little slower than it's normally been in the past.

It's one of these golf courses that because it's softer and a little slower, you feel like you can get a little more aggressive on iron shots into the greens. It doesn't matter, you put yourself in some of these spots, it's impossible.

I would say this golf course, for how good the lies are, to get all the time around the greens, yeah, it's definitely one of the toughest places to chip and putt.

Q. If you believe the forecast, it's going to be wet.

PATRICK REED: Very.

Q. How does that fit into your game? Do you feel comfortable with that?

PATRICK REED: It just all depends. Honestly, because of how much it rained Saturday for when the women were here and then also the week before, how much rain they got, I'm honestly surprised there aren't very many mud balls because normally you're going to pick something up because of how much water and how soft it is.

But the fairways are holding nice, and the greens are just obviously softer. But when the rain comes, depending on how much it comes, hopefully the systems are pumping, especially in the landing areas of the fairways.

It's just with it softer, you're going to see guys attack this golf course a little better. If the wind stays down like it did today, you're going to see low scores. You just never know. They always have tricks up their sleeves, and they always can make something happen around this place.

The biggest thing is you've got to hit -- when you have those wedges and have your opportunities, you've got to make birdies. You can't sit there and settle for par.

Q. I know you don't pay attention to it, but when you hear people say, oh, maybe they've dropped off or can't continue to compete as they're playing on different golf courses, does that make you laugh?

PATRICK REED: Yeah, it does. Last time I checked, I'm the one with the green jacket.

Q. You know the standard?

PATRICK REED: Yeah, we all know the standard. You go out and shoot anywhere from -- depending on what the weather is, anywhere from 12 to 18-under, you're going to win this golf tournament.

But on a day like today, you'd love to get a lot closer than 1-under par. It's just what it is. Golf's golf. You go out and play the best you're supposed to, you do things you're supposed to do, you can go out and shoot low numbers. It just happens to be we're doing it on a different tour than other guys.

Q. To follow up on that, with golf with a different schedule, different format help you prepare a little differently or better?

PATRICK REED: It's definitely different than this year. Normally I don't play the week before. I'll play the week before that and come in here a week before. So the only difference was I came in two weeks before, and I was able to play my way into this week.

I like it. I really enjoy kind of the preparation I had coming in. I played two of the last three weeks, and then going into this one. So three of four. So I feel like I'm getting myself into playing -- basically into playing golf rather than just beating balls and working on the range.

And it showed. I felt like these past couple weeks, I've been able to hit golf shots. Rather than sitting there worrying about golf swing, I'm worried about golf shots, which is important. Especially around this place, you can't worry about golf swing, or it will eat you up.

Q. I know you said you weren't reading headlines this week for things happening off the course. Coming into this week, did things happening off the course have any extra motivation for you and the guys on your team?

PATRICK REED: No. For me, it doesn't matter who I'm playing, where I'm playing, what I'm playing. It's about going out and playing the best I can, and hopefully on Sunday being one shot better than anyone else.

Q. When the spotlight is there, do you feel like your play picks up a little bit more?

PATRICK REED: I love when the spotlight is there. If you ask any of these guys who are competitors, they love the spotlight and have that adrenaline going through them when they come down on Sunday.

Q. Do you feel you play with a chip on your shoulder?

PATRICK REED: I think that's normal. I think every athlete does.