Reed seeking consistency ahead of Masters title defence

Reuters: Patrick Reed has yet to string together four solid rounds of golf this year and would like to find some consistency before setting off on his Masters title defence next month.

Reed is fresh off a share of 47th place at The Players Championship and only eight days removed from a T-50 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but for the 28-year-old American there is no need to panic ahead of the April 11-14 Masters.

“I’ve put myself in position and have put some solid rounds together, I just haven’t quite put four out there yet at the same time,”

Reed told a pre-Masters conference call on Monday.“I feel like I’m really close. I feel like I’ve got the bag where I feel really comfortable and confident with it, and now it’s just get some more reps (golf) underneath me and just kind of get ready for Augusta.”

Reed took the golf world by storm with a one-shot victory at last year’s Masters, where he spent much of the week at Augusta National Golf Club under he radar until storming into a two-shot lead after the second round.

The American led by three strokes going into the final round and turned back an early challenge from Rory McIlroy and then held off later charges from Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler to capture his first major title. The Masters triumph was the most recent of Reed’s six PGA Tour victories and while he knows a win going into the year’s first major would be a welcome boost it is far from necessary.“It definitely would help but, 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,” said Reed.

“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.”

Reed will compete in the Va l s p a r C h a m p i o n s h i p in Palm Harbor, Florida, starting on Thursday, and then in next week’s World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin before setting his sights on Augusta.