Follow us on Google Discover Patrick Reed is back in action at the Spanish Open after suffering an injury at Wentworth.
Reed was forced to withdraw from a tournament for the first time in his career due to injury at the BMW PGA Championship. He hit a hidden tree root on the ninth hole during his second round, which ultimately ended his tournament.
It was a difficult decision for Reed, as he’s currently in a battle for the Race to Dubai title with Rory McIlroy. McIlroy closed the gap to Reed with a T2 at Wentworth, meaning Reed now has to outperform the six-time major winner with his performances at the end of the year.
There is some concern that Reed could rush back from injury with this in mind. He gave an update on his health before the Spanish Open after injuring himself just three weeks ago.
Patrick Reed provides injury update before Spanish Open
Reed’s injury really couldn’t have come at a worse time. He was forced to withdraw from the DP World Tour’s flagship event in London, in the middle of the title fight with McIlroy.
Upon his return to action at the Spanish Open, he explained how his injury happened, and gave an update on his current health before teeing off in Madrid.
Speaking to the DP World Tour, he said, “Never saw that coming. It was actually my first time withdrawing during a round of golf due to injury. I would rather have gone out and shot a million than actually withdraw. But my neck and my shoulder were really tight to start the day, wasn’t feeling great, and my shoulder kind of popped on the first tee.
“Then, after hitting off the path on three and nine, I hit a root I didn’t see, and my hand swelled up. I couldn’t even hit a normal flop shot, and couldn’t hit a normal iron shot on the next hole, and at that point, because I was unable to actually make a normal golf swing, I thought the best thing was to go in.
What is your favourite and least favourite club in the bag to hit?
Is there a club you will avoid hitting at all costs at the moment?
MORE SPANISH OPEN STORIES
“When I went in, my hand was all swollen, and because of that, any time they touched it, it was in a lot of pain, so they thought I might have broken something inside the hand, and I flew home the next morning and got some tests and everything.
“Luckily, the hand was okay, and it actually ended up being a shoulder issue. The good thing is it only set me back one week, and I’m able to come back out here and play. It might be uncomfortable, but at the same time I’m able to come out here and perform and do what I’m supposed to do, and that’s swing a golf club.
“So no excuses; go out there and continue grinding and hopefully finish off the year strong.”
Reed isn’t back to 100% health, but he’s going to grit his teeth and get back out there, hoping to extend his lead over McIlroy at the top of the Race to Dubai standings.
Patrick Reed explains how it felt to withdraw from the BMW PGA Championship
Withdrawing from Wentworth was a particularly difficult decision for Reed to make because of his past form at the event. Before this year, he’d never finished outside the top five at Wentworth, and he was hoping to win there for the first time.
Reed expressed how disappointed he was to end his tournament early: “It was hard. Especially at that place at Wentworth. It’s such an amazing event, and the turnout is awesome. I’ve played some really good golf there at that event because of that. I was in form.
“I was playing really well, hitting the ball great, and for that unfortunate Friday to happen, it’s just one of those things that obviously you don’t ever want to happen. But at the same time, it’s just one of those other obstacles- the ups and downs you have to deal with throughout the year to hopefully close out the year.
“I feel like we made the right decision. I took off last week to give myself one extra week- doctor’s orders. Because of that, I feel like I’m healthy enough to come back out here and play and compete, and the game still feels pretty solid.”
Hopefully Reed can still perform to the best of his ability down the stretch to contend for the Race to Dubai title, because this promises to be an incredible clash between two greats of the game.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox