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THE NORTHERN TRUST


August 10, 2019


Patrick Reed


Jersey City, New Jersey

Q. 14-under through 54 holes. Thoughts on being in the lead?
PATRICK REED: The biggest thing is just go out and continue playing solid golf. Continue getting the ball in the fairway, being able to attack this golf course because from the fairway, you can attack it. It's one of those things that you just have to be smart and play this golf course smart. You have to give yourself opportunities and I feel like I've been doing that this week.

I feel like I've been doing that a lot the past month, month and a half. Just haven't quite made some putts or hit it one shot here or there that's derailed the round. It's close and it feels good. Feels like this has been coming for some time, and now it's just go out and stick to the game plan tomorrow and hopefully Sunday we have a chance to win the golf tournament.

Q. How did you get the ball-striking wise back?
PATRICK REED: Mentally and physically, I was out of it. I was kind of drained. Once I got to Bethpage and finished, I was going to play the following couple weeks and decided to shut it off. Actually shut down the game for ten days and got my body and my mind right. Just got back up 100 percent ready to go and at that point I was able to sit down clearly think and talk through my team what we're doing, what's good, what's not, what we need to fix. From that point, we had a very clear picture and path to move on to.

Any time you can ease your mind and you have clear focus, you're able to go out there and execute and play better golf.

Q. What was the No. 1 priority or thing you wanted to fix or improve?
PATRICK REED: Biggest thing for me was hit fairways and just allow my mind to get out of its way. Go out and be who I am. That's grind, and once I get it on the golf course, go play golf. See golf shots and hit golf shots. I was able to do that pretty easily basically right after I got done with my break and once I got back out, I think it was Pebble when I started back up. When you go to a place like Pebble, you have to hit golf shots. You can't make golf swings. You actually have to shape balls, do different things, and I just kind of stayed in that mind-set kind of moving forward.

Q. You played quite a bit. Is it easier to fall into that sort of being a little bit more too analytical, too mechanical?
PATRICK REED: It is when you feel like you're doing a lot of things really well but the numbers aren't producing. When you sit there, you're like, man, I hit the ball great. I putted well. Yet I shot 74, or I shot 73 and you look back, okay, there was a lipout here, lipout there, bad drive put me in a bad spot but I recovered; this was a par 5 you missed the fairway. All of a sudden you're like, man, I'm doing a lot of things well. I just need to continue doing them and just almost do the total opposite and kind of free yourself up and get your mind out of the way and just play golf.

I've been able to do that the past month and a half because of all the work we've done on the range and on the off-weeks so that when I come out here and play, I'm playing, not trying to fix a golf swing on the road.

Q. Do you feel like this is the best you've played since, when, would you say?
PATRICK REED: Man, I feel like I've hit the ball and I've putted really well for the past month and a half. I just haven't -- the numbers just haven't quite been there. I think the biggest difference is last week on Sunday, I changed golf balls to a new golf ball that's a little softer. I was hitting so many three-quarter shots, that's normally my go-to and I'm watching 9-irons release 30 feet. I'm like, well that's not good. That being said, I went to a little softer, a little higher launching golf ball on Sunday last week and next thing you know, I shoot 7-under there and come here, 5, 5, 4. It's going the right direction. I feel like I'm doing a lot of things well. I just need to go out and give myself opportunities.

I went to a 17 Pro V.

Q. Do you think you need to win for it to be a successful year?
PATRICK REED: Of course it helps. But really it's just go out and continue playing good golf. Continue growing and continue improving opponent the things that we've been trying to do, and it's just awesome to finally be in that position back again where I'm contending on Sunday and have a chance to win the golf tournament.

Q. How much is Presidents Cup in the back of your mind?
PATRICK REED: Probably more in the back of my mind here because it was here in 2017 and seeing the Statue of Liberty. Definitely in the back of my mind but the biggest thing is to go out and may solid golf and continue playing well, because the end of the day, the way you make it on the team is by playing good golf.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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