DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Tiger Woods might be inclined to play Patrick Reed in every session of the upcoming Presidents Cup after Reed paid his playing captain the ultimate compliment.
As far as Reed is concerned, Woods is “the greatest player on the planet.” High praise indeed.
Reed is teeing it up in the $8 million DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, the final event of the 2019 European Tour. Then the 2018 Masters winner heads to Woods’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas before joining playing captain Woods in the Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Reed said. “It was awesome hearing that he was going to be a captain and the way he’s been playing, it’s awesome to see that he’s going to be playing. I mean, he definitely earned that spot to be able to play on the team. Any time you can have the greatest player on the planet playing on your team, it always helps you out.”
The European Tour received good news in the final event of the year when Reed committed his long-term future to playing the European circuit alongside the PGA Tour. Reed is playing his third full season in Europe, and his fourth in the last five years.
“I plan on keeping my European Tour membership as long as I can still move and still play,” Reed admitted. “One of my goals was always to be a worldwide player. Not just play over here once in a while, but play worldwide and do it for my career.
“There’s no doubt that I’ll definitely play enough to keep my card next year, and the year after that, and the year after that.”
The 29-year-old believes competing in European Tour events has made him a better player.
“The biggest thing I like is the challenge of getting used to different time zones, different cultures, different grasses and golf courses. Even if it’s Bermuda (grass) over here compared to Bermuda at home, there is still a little difference. It definitely makes you become a more rounded golfer as well as being able to adapt very quickly whether it’s time zones or different surfaces.
“The good thing is that now with multiple years out here playing both tours I’ve figured out ways to make sure the energy levels stay up when I’m playing. If I went thought the same kind of routine in practice as I do at home and I tried to do that while I was over here, I’d be toast.
“I’ve been able to figure out nuances in my body and my schedule to allow me to hold up.”
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