Patrick Reed hasn’t won on Tour since winning the 2018 Masters, but as he readies to defend his title next month at Augusta National Golf Club, Reed says that he’s more mentally prepared for the Masters than he was a year ago.
“Honestly, I feel like my mindset and state of mind that I’m in right now is better than it was last year at this point” Reed, 28, said during a conference call with reporters Monday afternoon. “I’ve hit golf shots and have done things on the golf course that I feel a little bit more comfortable this year doing than I did last year at this point, but I just need to go out and continue playing to put four rounds together. … I feel like I’m really close.”
It has been a challenging year for Reed, and not just because of his winless drought. After a dispiriting Ryder Cup loss for the U.S. side, Reed unloaded on his teammates and captain Jim Furyk in an interview with The New York Times, which led to more drama in the ensuing months. Despite the off-course distractions, Reed maintains that his game is sound and that he’s ready to defend his title.
“I think the biggest thing is just I’m going to go in with hopefully the same kind of mindset that I had last year and really just take it all in stride,” Reed said. “Even though there’s going to be more going on this year than there was last year because last year I was able to kind of fly in under the radar at the beginning of the week, this year having all the extra activities, extra things going on, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Reed, who finished T-47 at the Players Championship this past week, will be back in action this week at the Valspar Championship. He has 20/1 odds to win on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club.
