Q. Patrick, how would you characterize your round today?
PATRICK REED: It was kind of what I needed to do in the first round. I wouldn't say it was spectacular, but at the same time it wasn't a bad round. Could have hit some probably better tee shots, especially with the driver. 3-wood was on point, besides for the last tee shot which put me in the right bunker, but besides that, the driver, I just didn't hit many fairways when I hit that club.
But to come around this place, feel like the driver wasn't where it needed to be and hit 16 of 18 greens with those irons, man, it definitely puts you in a good spot where you're able to make birdies and hopefully you're able to eliminate the big numbers and the mistakes.
Q. This is your fifth straight week, correct?
PATRICK REED: Mm-hmm.
Q. Have you seen from where it started at Colonial to now, have you seen good progression in your game or would you want to see something a little bit more?
PATRICK REED: Yeah, I feel like at the very beginning, things were a little rusty. I felt like when I was watching it on film, the things I was doing in the swing, it looked really solid, but just timing and getting back to actually seeing a flag, seeing a number and having to hit a golf shot was a hair off early on. But I feel like now I'm able to dial everything in. I'm able to kind of see golf shots, hit golf shots, and I just need the putter to wake up a little bit. I feel like I've missed a lot of putts the past two weeks and I left a couple out there today, but at the same time I feel like I've hit a lot of really good putts that just haven't gone in. The more we just see the lines and hit putts, the more balls are going to go in. I feel like we're trending the right way and that's all you can ask for this week, next week and whatever is coming up.
Q. What did you think of the course conditions today? Obviously they're trying to protect the course a little bit for next week.
PATRICK REED: I think the biggest thing is I feel like the fairways were solid and in good shape. The rough is even tamed down, a tamed-down Muirfield. You use usually have that thick rough where you just have to be careful of it. But it's really hot, so the ball is just going forever. With that being said, early on in the round, especially these last couple days when I played in the morning, the greens were really soft, but they got some spring in their step this afternoon, which was kind of good to see. But they're slow, obviously, compared to what we're used to seeing. As the week goes on, it's going to get a little faster, and then also next week they're going to be even faster than that. I feel like the golf course is definitely in a good position where it is right now in order for it to last two solid weeks on the PGA TOUR, and really that's all you can ask for because it takes a lot out of a golf course just to have one tournament here, but to have back-to-back is going to be tricky.
Q. You're a guy who plays a lot normally, but next week will be six straight weeks, and it's been hot kind of the whole time. How have you been able to conserve your energy at night or whatever time you practice, anything you've done to make sure you're fresh as you continue to move along?
PATRICK REED: I think that's the biggest thing is I've always been the type that I go out, I grind, I practice or I grind and I play, and then I go back and I rest. That's how I'm able to last as long as I do. I'm known to go on long runs and play a lot.
That being said, it's just kind of the same thing. I come out here and on hot days like this instead of it being an hour and a half, hour and 45 minute warmup, I cut it back to an hour and 15, hour and 20, so you're saving 20 minutes of being in the heat there. I don't practice very much after rounds when it's this hot because really, especially right now, I feel like there's a lot of things I'm doing really well, it's just I need the score to reflect it. So for me it's a lot easier to kind of go back, rest and just hydrate as much as I can.
It feels like I'm in Houston right now. It's really hot. It was dripping out there today. With that being said, just rest as much as you can, just be ready.
Q. Your reaction to the Ryder Cup being postponed until next year?
PATRICK REED: Yeah, you know, I think probably if you asked everybody, captains, assistant captains, players, both organizations, that they're disappointed, obviously, that we're not going to play Ryder Cup this year, but at the end of the day I feel like they made the right call. The Ryder Cup is not the same if you have it at 50 percent fans or if you have it at no fans. The fans are kind of what makes the Ryder Cup. You go in there and you -- if you're the hometown, you have everyone behind you, and if you're away, you want the hostility, you want people to kind of go at you. That's the fun thing about the event.
So with either cutting fans back or not having them at all, also, I don't think you'll get as much emotion out of players, and with that being said, I feel like it just wouldn't be a Ryder Cup. I mean, they made the right decision, and it's just going to be even sweeter whenever we're able to play next year.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports