Q. Nine holes is pretty nice.
PATRICK REED: Oh, yeah.
Q. A nice cushion to get started.
PATRICK REED: I mean, kind of just sought some perfect numbers there, some solid golf shots early on. Honestly, the two bogeys I had were actually quality golf shots. Misjudged the wind there on ten and put it in a spot you can't go. Absolutely flushed the 7-wood there on 15 that landed on the green and ended up somehow going into the water long.
So, you know, all in all, there was a lot of quality golf shots. I got away with two poor golf shots, one on 17 and one on 18 there. Got those up and down.
Besides that, I mean, I felt like I played a lot better kind of than the score today. I hit the ball pretty solid, gave myself a lot of good looks, and made a couple of putts.
Q. What did you have into 15? Where would you have needed to land it for it to not go in the water?
PATRICK REED: Well, the ball marker was three yards from the back edge, but it was right on, like -- if you are just barely right of the flag, there's actually that big side slope. It landed on that, so it shot it. Actually it had plenty of height. It either needed to land probably a little shorter or maybe -- I mean, if it lands towards the middle of the green, it would have been fine.
But, yeah, I don't know. That was a head scratcher for me. I didn't see that going that far, but if I have 7-wood or closer into that green, especially to that pin, I'm going to go for it every day. I do not like that 60-, 70-, 80-yard wedge shot to that flag, and especially today with it being more forward, I knew if it went over the green, we would be fine. Didn't really think I was going to go 30 yards over the green.
Q. At what point in the calendar year does this week come into focus for you when you start thinking about the Masters?
PATRICK REED: I think about it all the time. Yeah, you know, I would say we really start preparing for it probably three or four weeks prior. Whether it's certain clubs you decide to put in bags, whether it's a wedge that has less bounce or more bounce, I mean, I think at that point it's kind of when we really grind on it and try to figure out what we're going to do, but it's hard.
This is one of those places that the more you think about it, the more you think ahead, the more it bites you. When I won in '18, it was the first year I actually fully bought into just taking it day by day and shot by shot. I think that's what my recipe is, because when you get to the first major, you're always going to put too much pressure on yourself, you're always going to grind a little harder.
Golf is one of those games if you start trying to force things, you actually get worse. Other sports, the harder you push, the harder you go, usually it works out. In our sport the harder you push and the harder you try to make something happen, that's usually when it kind of goes the wrong direction.
Q. Shane said he thought it might end up being one of the most difficult Masters ever with the conditions. What do you do? Your game plan, does it alter much as it goes day by day?
PATRICK REED: It definitely has the teeth in it to make it really, really tough. I mean, the greens are already getting firm, crusty, and bouncy. 17 is always one of the firmest greens on the golf course. You could tell when you are walking on it and trying to fix a ball mark -- I actually broke one tee on the hole trying to fix a ball mark. You already know it's going to get crusty. You know it's going to get fast, and it's going to take a lot of patience.
You're going to have to hit the ball solid and put the ball in the right spots. When you do, be patient and try to minimize errors.
Q. Is that part of the reason for 15, the firmness of it?
PATRICK REED: I don't know. To be honest with you, I think that might have been -- had to have been a fluke. With how high it was coming in, I don't see that ball landing on the green and going that far. You know, I'm just going to go ahead and write that down as a bad break, because I mean, I don't know any way to put it.
Q. What's your reaction as a player when you see this weather forecast kind of come into focus and you have the idea that it's going to play as firm and fast this weekend as they want it to?
PATRICK REED: Just got to be patient. I mean, try to get as many early as you can the first couple of days, because this is one of those golf courses that it can change so quickly. With what the weather looks like it's going to be, hot, you know, really hot, sunny, they could make this place really, really hard if they wanted to.
I wouldn't be surprised. We have the best players in the world here. Why not? Challenge us and make it difficult, because it's one of these golf courses, though, if you hit quality golf shots, you're going to get rewarded for it. That's the biggest thing is if it's going to firm up and it's going to get faster and faster, you're just going to have to hit quality golf shots and know where you are going to hit the ball.
Q. This morning Tom Watson said he doesn't believe players who left the PGA TOUR for LIV should be allowed to come back to the PGA TOUR? Do you have any response to that?
PATRICK REED: I'm just going by the rules. I'm doing my time from what they said on Player Handbook, and I'm excited to come back playing on the PGA TOUR. I can't wait really to get back and finish my career on the PGA TOUR where I started.
Q. Have you see any guys that it's been a long, long time since you've seen this week, and has there been a good reception or good, you know -- or has it been more cold like it was in the early days of LIV?
PATRICK REED: The guys from day one have always kind of been the same with me. When we're out there grinding, we're grinding. At the same time, there are some of these guys I've never even seen before, I have never met. I've met them for the first time a couple of guys this week and in previous weeks. It's nice to get to know the new guys.
But, no, all the old guys and people that were from the PGA TOUR from the past whenever I was out there, it's all been friendly and fine, especially when we're inside the ropes playing golf.
Q. What about the reception that you felt maybe from making two eagles early, things like that? Did it feel any different than it has in recent years in terms of your reception from the general populous?
PATRICK REED: The crowds have always been great when I've been here, and I think that's the thing. They love seeing great golf, great golf shots, and to be able to make those two eagles and get those roars going, especially early on, was really nice.
Q. You've won here. You've also contended and not won. At what point does contention truly start?
PATRICK REED: I would say going midway through Saturday. I mean, that's really when you kind of know and really can figure out if you have a legitimate shot. I mean, it's hard to go out and shoot 63, 64, or 65 around here on Sunday, especially with how firm and fast this place is going to get. I mean, it's hard to do that. You have to put yourself into position midway through Saturday to have a legitimate chance.
Q. Is there a time for you where you start to feel like you felt comfortable coming back here as a past champion?
PATRICK REED: '19, 2019. I mean, when you win, the following year you feel pretty confident when you come back. The crazy thing is, I mean, a lot of times I felt really confident and comfortable at the golf course. Obviously not the first year, but I mean, even '16, '17 I felt comfortable, but the problem is I tried too hard. I pushed too much, put too much pressure on every shot and on myself. You know, I just wasn't getting the results I wanted.
So in '18 I just decided to go at it completely differently and do all my work, prep, and then come in and just play golf. Take on every shot and try to win every battle that you go out and hit. If you win more battles than lose, you have a good opportunity at the end.
So because of that mindset and because it worked first time doing it, that's kind of the mindset I do when I come out here. I don't know if you really could ever say you're really comfortable at this place on any shot. You look at hole three, for example. Based off of yardage and everything, you would think people would just eat that hole up, and it seems to give more guys issues just because you have to be strategic on every golf shot you hit out here, even if it's a tee shot. It doesn't matter. You've got to put yourself in the right spots.
So there's always a little bit of, you know, uncomfortable feeling on every hole. I mean, being five yards left on some holes compared to the right side of the fairway, I mean, it's a completely different way it plays.
Q. Have you ever played 17 from seven?
PATRICK REED: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I've been farther left than that. I've been to where I've been in the other fairway.
I don't know if that ball actually hit any trees, so I think that might have been -- the one that got to the fairway actually hit a tree and kicked hard left, but that one, yeah, that wasn't a good drive o.
Q. Would you consider that gap a tight gap or an easy gap?
PATRICK REED: No, with an 8-iron we should be able to hit that gap every time.
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