"I felt like I was on cruise control"- Patrick Reed reacts to shooting a historic 59 at the Hong Kong Open
Patrick Reed opened up about his historic performance at the Hong Kong Open after shooting 59 in the third round on Saturday, November 23. He shot a bogey-free round of 11-under 59 to become the second golfer on the circuit to shoot a sub-par 60 after John Catlin.
The American golfer is playing in this week's Asian Tour event and took a three-shot lead in the game after three rounds, courtesy of his brilliant result on Saturday. Following the round, Patrick Reed opened up about his performance, saying:
"I just feel I was on cruise control out there," Reed said. "You know, it's kind little bit different type of nerves, coming out on that last after birdie on 17. You know, I have the opportunity to shoot 59, so I told my caddie, 'Hey, we birdie here and we get it done'."
Patrick Reed was impressive throughout the third round of the Hong Kong Open. He started the game with five consecutive birdies before adding a birdie on the seventh. He shot another birdie on the 13th and then made four back-to-back birdies on the concluding holes to shoot 59.
Patrick Reed's 59 at Hong Kong Open moves him closer to winning his maiden Asian Tour event
Having turned professional in 2011, Patrick Reed has won 12 tournaments in his career so far. However, if he wins this week at the Hong Kong Open, it would be his first Asian Tour event victory.
Moreover, it would be his first win since the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open. The American golfer is in a promising position to clinch the Hong Kong Open as he will enter the final round with a three-stroke lead. Rashid Khan and Nitithorn Thippong are tied for second place in the event.
The 2018 Masters winner opened up about his game in the Hong Kong Open, saying (via Golf Monthly):
“I got up, I felt a little tight but felt ready to go and got out here and had probably one of the worst warm-ups ever. I looked at my caddy, and he goes, hey, a warm-up is a warm-up, let's go out and just play golf. He goes, 'some of your best rounds have come from a poor warm-up'.”
Patrick Reed delivered some remarkable performances at the LIV Golf and DP World Tour events this year. He had also played in two Majors and was tied for 12th at the Masters.
On the Saudi Circuit, some of his good finishes include a T9 in Miami, a T3 at Houston, and a T4 at Andalucia. On the European Circuit, his impressive performances include T13 at the BMW International Open and T10 at the Open de Espana.