Q. I think a decent round today with three birdies in a row from 11 to 13. Walk us through it. What was working?
PATRICK REED: It was okay today for the most part. I felt like I actually drove the ball better earlier this week, but the good thing is I hit a lot of quality iron shots, gave myself a lot of opportunities.
I go and stiff it on 1 to kind of tap in for birdie there and gave myself a couple good looks the rest of the front nine, just couldn't really capitalize. I finally hit it close enough on the next three. I hit it on 10 to 4 feet, then 5 feet on 11, then 6 or 7 feet on 12.
Yeah, I kept hitting it close, giving myself chances, and still felt like I left a ton out there. Missed a 4 1/2 footer for birdie on 9 and a 5 footer for birdie on 13. So I still missed a couple putts that I felt like I should have made, but it was good to feel like I got nothing out of the round and still shoot 4-under.
It's moving in the right direction. Hopefully tomorrow I can get off to a fast start and make the putts rather than miss them. It could have been something really special. You never know. I could go out and shoot a low one tomorrow and have a decent finish in the event and carry the momentum into next year.
Q. You had a good season this year with your first win on LIV, second at IS Macau, and third in the Masters. How do you reflect on your form overall this year?
PATRICK REED: The form has been getting a lot better. I feel like the form has been solid, but it's just one of those things where one day you're hitting it well, and you're hitting it well that day and it seems like you're burning edges on putts, and then the next day you're hitting it sideways but then you're making all your putts.
Golf's a funny game. It's one of those things you have to keep plugging along and keep on grinding and stay with it, and it will all click at some point. It's very close. It's very close to being really, really good.
Finally got the irons, and I feel like I'm hitting the ball how I want to. Now I just need the putter to cooperate and the balls to go in.
Q. This event is the IS Series finale. Can you reflect a little bit, when you earned that spot on The Open in Macau earlier this year, how do you think about the pathway that IS offers?
PATRICK REED: That's what's awesome about the Asian Tour and the International Series events with how the majors are really -- you look at all the majors, and they're starting to recognize the talent and the great play and the players out here, and because of that, they're allowing spots in the majors and these big events.
I think it's huge for this tour over here as well as it brings some of the guys over here to play as well to try to earn spots and showcase their game. I think it's just showing how global golf is and how important it is to the majors and the big events to branch out even globally to allow guys to have an opportunity to play in the four biggest events in the world.
Q. I think you get asked this a lot, but what do you think about the format change to 72 next year?
PATRICK REED: I love it. I love it going to 72. For me, I just feel like the more holes you play, the top players are going to kind of rise to the occasion. When you had the three-round tournaments, it turned into a really fast sprint. You knew it was going to be different, but you didn't think it was going to be that different.
It just seemed like you had to go out and shoot a ridiculously low number to have a chance to win the golf tournaments. Now I feel like it kind of aligns with all the other tours. Now you can go out and kind of really judge how you are in relation to the other players in the world.
Q. So you're famous for being super well traveled. You were in the Philippines and then Hong Kong as well. How does traveling, especially on IS events, help with your game and fitting into it?
PATRICK REED: I think basically with traveling worldwide, especially on these IS events and playing, what it does is it makes you have to adapt and learn how to play golf at all different places -- different grasses, different altitudes, different temperatures, all these little things. Obviously with the time zone changes and getting yourself to adapt, it just shows a lot on kind of what you need to work on in your golf game and also what it is that is really traveling and doing well.
Q. What's the plan from now until the season opener at Saudi as well?
PATRICK REED: Go home and take some time off obviously. I feel like it's well deserved. It's 32 weeks this year already I've played. Go back, kind of reflect on some things, talk with my coaches, figure out what it is we want to work on in the off-season and kind of get ready for January because I'll probably head over and play some of the events in Dubai, DP World Tour to get ready for starting up here in Saudi for LIV.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports