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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANSApril 23, 2014Patrick ReedAVONDALE, LOUISIANA PATRICK REED: It's always good to be back in this part of the world. Being down here is just so different compared to everywhere else we've been, and living in Baton Rouge and spending a lot of time down here in New Orleans, good to be back to basically I went to high school and everything. To see all the friends and fans out there, it was fun, and I just hope to give them a good show this week. Q. Growing up nearby here, what's your history with the course? PATRICK REED: Yeah, the first time I ever played the course was two years ago, the first time I played the event. The course is a great course. I really enjoyed it. The layout is awesome. It's one of those that fits my eye really well, and hopefully I can get the putter going and hopefully contend on Sunday. Q. Can you just reflect a little bit on how much things have changed for you since you were here two years ago as a Monday qualifier, going through all those things, now you have status, you've won three times? Is it what you could have planned or envisioned? Everyone sets goals, but how does it fit into what you thought might happen for you? PATRICK REED: You know, it's a dream come true, that's for sure. This was the first Monday qualifier we played throughout that stretch two years ago. We were in the Monday qualifier at Valero but then we got a sponsor exemption while we were on the third hole, so this was what started the Monday qualifier run. To play the way we did during that Monday qualifier, to make it through, just knowing that you really‑‑ every week you had to go qualify, you didn't really have a place to play, and unless you kept qualifying and made it that way. For us to get through that, we always reflect back on that on how hard those times were but how rewarding at the same time because now it's given me more confidence going out there. It's a lot easier playing 72 holes than it is playing an 18‑hole shootout trying to get in the top four, and it just put everything in perspective to come out here, basically be back to where everything kind of started, having a couple wins under our belt and playing the way I am this year, it just gives me more confidence and more satisfaction going into the week. Q. Are you still living in Baton Rouge or did you move to Texas? I think I understood that y'all drove from San Antonio to New Orleans overnight that night two years ago; is that right? PATRICK REED: Right. No, we actually live in Houston, and we drove from San Antonio‑‑ well, we didn't drive, my wife drove. She allowed me to sleep as much as I could, which there's not much sleeping when you're driving, especially after a Sunday round. We had two, three hours of sleep the night before the Monday, never saw the golf course before and ended up making it into a playoff, so we played 20 total holes, and we were able to close the deal. Just thinking back on that still gives me goosebumps to the fact that not only what did I put myself through but what I put my wife through, all those all‑nighter drives, the all‑nighter flights, trying to play courses blind, and if you make it through, having to figure out the entire golf course in 18 holes on Tuesday. Those were long days, as well, because you're never in a Wednesday pro‑am if you're Monday qualified. It's just one of those things that it was very tiring and a long run, actually built up our stamina as well as gave us the confidence knowing that we can play out here. That's key; you know if you can play out here you can put some rounds together and hopefully come out with some Ws. Q. What's your postmortem on the Masters, and what do you know about Pinehurst No.2? Or what do you know about Pinehurst? PATRICK REED: I mean, Augusta was amazing. It definitely taught me a lot. It taught me that during those big events you have to have a very solid game plan as well as you need to do your homework on the golf course. Every other golf course I've played, if you have that tucked flag on the left or on the right you can hit to the middle of the green, you're fine. At Augusta it's different. You have to know where the pins are and where you can hit the ball because you can hit a whole lot of greens out there and shoot 7‑over in a heartbeat. It's one of those golf courses that if you put it in the wrong spot every single hole, you can have 18 bogeys in a row. I hit a lot of quality shots, left myself in some bad spots on the greens and made some easy bogeys that way, as well as I felt like I hit some poor shots that turned out pretty well. It's just one of those golf courses that next time I'll definitely do a lot more homework going into it and now that I've played it once knowing where I need to hit the golf ball on every single hole and knowing where I need to position balls on greens. Pinehurst, that was where Danny Lee, a really good friend of mine who's now out here on Tour, he beat me in the second final of the U.S.Am on Pinehurst No.2. I played really well there, and I'm glad to go back and can't wait to play in my second major and hopefully be able to play as well as I did last time. Q. Billy was in here a bit ago talking about how much life changed after his first win, and I know it hasn't been quite a year for you yet, but just curious how you've handled it and how things have changed and how comfortable you are are some of those changes. PATRICK REED: I'm very comfortable with all the changes, but he's right, after your first one a lot does change. Not only on the golf course but off the golf course, as well. On the golf course you just have‑‑ you get those featured groups, you get those great pairings where you're playing with the top players in the world. I got to play with Rory McIlroy, I've played with Jordan Spieth, who's a good friend of mine, so playing with Jordan to me doesn't feel any different, but the first time playing with Rory was a good experience. I've played with Adam Scott, Bubba Watson. Bubba hits it pretty short. (Laughter.) I think I was 30 behind him all day. But to see someone who hits it that far and has that much control hitting fairways and then also the soft hands around the greens, it shows how you have to keep working. If you win ones, yeah, you've won once, but at the same time if you slow down doing what you're doing, dudes are going to pass you. That's what we worked really hard on. We won Wyndham and had to go straight to the Playoffs so I didn't have any breaks or downtime, and mentally I was exhausted and physically, as well. These past two wins I was able to take a week off right after and kind of regroup and get reset to go out and play, and I feel like that's been a key of success. Everything has changed due to the fact that winning three times‑‑ just winning once, you get two years on TOUR so you kind of have a breather or two to not put too much pressure on yourself, and at the same time it makes it easier when you get in that position again if you have a chance to win that you've done it before. Q. With the new wraparound season, we're already halfway through the year, as crazy as it may seem. What do you think the story of the mid‑year is so far, and what kind of story lines have really stood out to you in your opinion? PATRICK REED: It goes by quick. I mean, to be finished with our first major and basically have it be halfway through the season, it's shocking. But there's been a lot of players that are first‑time winners, a lot of young guys have won, but at the same time a lot of veterans have won like John Senden and that kind of thing. It show it doesn't matter how old you are and how long you've been on TOUR, the guys these days and the competition is out there, whoever is playing best that week has a chance of winning. You see a guy like Bubba who won the Masters, but yet Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt finished second, first‑timers. You have John Senden winning, Russell winning, myself winning twice so far, you have Harris English, so you have that big mix. It's one of those things that it's definitely an interesting year. It's one of those years that I don't know if it's going to keep trending that way, but it seems like the younger guys that are coming out and playing are playing extremely well and are already ready to play on TOUR, and then you have the guys that are older that are still out there that are veterans that when it comes down to a place like an Augusta or a place you have to be methodical and have a great game plan and strategic, those guys are going to give it a run, as well. It just seems like it brings everyone into play. Q. I think you're about a month out from fatherhood; is that right? PATRICK REED: Yeah. Q. How are you going to prepare because that's going to be close to the U.S. Open. How will you deal with that and prepare for that? PATRICK REED: You know, I can't wait. Every day I talk to Justine's stomach. I keep telling her today is the day, follow the light, come on, because I can't wait. It's one of those things I can't wait for daddy's little girl to come out and join us and be part of the family. If it was up to me, the baby would be here today. It's one of those things that I'm very impatient when it comes to that. I can't wait. I'm excited. I'm actually more excited about that than ever stepping onto the golf course right now. Golf comes second to me right now. Just make sure Justine is all right and the baby is all right. That comes first. Family always comes first before golf. Justine is here this week, and I mean, hopefully we make it through this week. If not, we might just end up in the hospital. Who knows. She just finished her 35th week, and it could come any time now, especially with how much she's walking. She has not missed a single hole ever since I've played on TOUR. She has walked every single golf hole I've played. Practice round, pro‑am round, everything, tournament round, it doesn't matter. It's getting a little harder for her as well as it's getting a little harder for me to look over there and see her struggling a little bit. Once the time comes I'm going to probably tell her you can walk nine. With how competitive she is, there's no way to keep her off the golf course. Q. Kind of along that same line, being competitive, you played in Division IV at University High and I think you played against Andrew Loupe a couple times. Was playing against Andrew, did that help you develop because y'all were both so good? PATRICK REED: Of course. Whenever you play with good players, it helps you. I played a lot of AJGA events and that stuff and I played a lot of big amateur events like Jones Cup and that kind of stuff. When I'm at home during high school, to be able to play in events where I have another player who's really good, Andrew is a really solid player, he hits the ball a mile, and during high school I think we played 6,400 yard golf courses. It seems like he was driving every green. He definitely made me work hard and keep practicing hard, and same thing with him because it seemed like every week I would win, he'd win, it would just go back and forth. Having somebody like that keeps you trying a little harder, and that's why he's out here and I'm out here, as well. Q. If things go according to schedule with her pregnancy, have you thought you'd like to make it to the THE PLAYERS and then take off? PATRICK REED: Exactly how it is. We're going to basically play until the baby comes, whether it's PLAYERS or whether it's Byron, whether it's Wells Fargo, whether it's Colonial. The good thing is right after PLAYERS is Dallas, so we're a very short distance to Houston. We've gotten the A‑Ok from the doctors and everything, it's one of those things you have to monitor. It just all depends. We hope to make it through PLAYERS and at that time we'll be at the end of the 37th week close to the 38th, so by that point it will be any day. It's just one of those things that we're going to play by ear and can't wait for her to be out. If it was up to me, she'd be out now, like I said. Q. Lucas Glover was here in a similar situation, and last year his wife was expecting. You would leave in the middle of a round or something like that, you're out of there? PATRICK REED: Oh, for sure. If she goes into labor and the baby is coming, I'm going. Like I said, Justine and the baby come first to anything. It's family. Golf comes second in that situation, that's for sure. I'm definitely going to be there no matter what, whether I'm here, whether I'm at Wells Fargo, whether I'm at Players. There's no way that‑‑ the baby will definitely be out before the U.S. Open, that's for sure, because that would be way too long. I don't have to worry about that. Her first event is going to be U.S. Open and Justine is going to be there, as well. It's going to be our first U.S. Open as well as the family's first U.S. Open, so it's going to be fun. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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