Patrick Reed is back at the Open de España presented by Madrid for the second straight year and he will be determined to pick up where he left off in 2024, when he posted a Top-10 finish. Reed has his sights set on a title that would be his first on the DP World Tour.
At 35 years of age, the former US Masters champion (2018) still has the game to mix it with the best and he continues to be very much his own player. Few are as ferociously competitive as the American and fans flock to watch him play wherever he tees it up. The Spanish fans are lucky to have another opportunity to witness the prowess of a Reed who seems intent on becoming a global player by claiming titles beyond the realms of his native USA.
‘Captain America’, as he has become known for his Ryder Cup exploits, has won no fewer than nine times on the PGA Tour, including two WGCs and the aforementioned US Masters, but he is also a player who, despite not being on the US team at Bethpage back, continues to be one of the poster boys of his team in the biannual event. His duel with Rory McIlroy in the 2016 Sunday singles has gone down in history as one of the best matches in the Ryder Cup’s rich history.
The word victory and Patrick Reed have always gone hand in hand. During his time at the University of Georgia and Augusta State, he managed to win the NCAA twice before claiming almost a trophy a year on the PGA Tour, the pick of which was the US Masters title in 2018, when Sergio Garcia presented him with his green jacket.
His performance on the fairways of Club de Campo Villa de Madrid twelve months ago had everybody talking, particularly after a stunning round on Friday that put him among the leaders. He would play in the penultimate match on Saturday and Sunday.
Reed’s ambition and a desire to fight for victory until the 72nd were not quite enough on Sunday, when double bogeys on the 8th and 11th saw him drop too far behind the leaders. He would eventually finish tenth. However, no sooner had he signed his card than he promised he would soon return. True to his word, 365 days later he is ready to be the villain and wrestle the title from Spanish hands. It is a role that the inimitable Patrick Reed will surely relish.
