WGC-Mexico Championship
Club de Golf Chapultepec
Mexico City, Mexico
Event Type: limited; no-cut 72-man field
Winner’s Share: $1,820,000 (up $75,000 from last year)
Captain America.
Patrick Reed’s (still) blossoming career sometimes seems stuck in the past tense, i.e., what controversy is he embroiled in, real, contrived or perhaps self-inflicted, versus what potential achievements lie ahead.
This is not new. It’s been going on for quite a while now. Even before turning pro.
Reed’s bizarre existence, “while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives”, to quote an all-time sound bite from A Few Good Men.
Okay, it doesn’t really save lives, but sure spices things up.
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Regardless of what is swirling around him, however, the 29-year-old just won his eighth PGA TOUR title in 211 events, first since the 2019 THE NORTHERN TRUST nine starts ago, and his second World Golf Championships trophy in 25 tries.
Afterwards.
Do you feel like you silenced a few critics this week?
“Honestly, I don’t know. Really at the end of the day, to me it doesn’t really matter.”
“I always feel I have something to prove, not to anyone else, but to myself, that I can continue to improve on and off the golf course and continue to do the unthinkable and pull off the hard shots, make putts when I need to make them.”
The Augusta University product, a pre-tourney 45/1 outright, won the WGC-Cadillac in 2014, the pre-cursor to this event, as a 70/1 outright and in his tourney debut.
Adjacent to the 18th green at Trump National Doral, where he was the 54-hole leader by two and won by one after an even-par 72, he confidently, now infamously, proclaimed himself a Top-5 player in the world, further “endearing” himself to the pessimistic public.
Reed was 44th entering that week and an optimistic 20th departing.
Six-plus years on and 160 starts later, he’s not made good on that Top-5 comment, yet. His latest salvo jumps him six spots to No. 8, while his best is 7th in late-October, 2016.
Reed was first dubbed Captain America by Ryder Cup teammate, pairing partner, and fellow Texan Jordan Spieth for his ruckus performance at the 2016 biennial edition at Hazeltine National, where Reed was the top points-getter (3.5 points) in the USA’s 17.0 to 11.0 beatdown of the Euros.
He’s 7-3-2 in the Ryder Cup, including a 3-0-0 record in Sunday Singles.
This Sunday, chasing his first win outside the USA, he birdied four in a six-hole stretch on the inward nine, including three straight at 15, 16 and 17, to hoist the trophy by one over runner-up Bryson DeChambeau (65), whose 3-putt bogey at the 71st hole ended up costing him a chance at extra time.
Reed, one group behind DeChambeau, birdied the 71st hole (from 17’6”).
His lone blemish, an inconsequential bogey-5 at the last – while protecting a now 2-shot lead – capped a second straight 67.
Last year at Chapultepec, Reed was in the final threesome on Sunday, T3 and a distant seven in arrears of leader and eventual runaway winner Dustin Johnson, but coughed up a 2-over 73 to DJ’s 66 and Rory McIlroy’s 67 – who finished 1, 2 – to crater to T14.
He was not much more than an afterthought.
In typical-Reed fashion, or Reed-lore if you will, Sunday’s victory avenges that letdown.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, at least this week, 54-hole leader and playing competitor Justin Thomas, chasing his third win of the season, labored to a closing 73, dropping five to T6, five adrift of Reed.
Thomas, who cooled to 8-for-12 converting from the three-quarter pole in his career, also lost a 1-shot 54-hole lead here in 2017, falling to T5 after a 72, three adrift of playing competitor, champion, and then-World No. 1 Dustin Johnson (68).
Reed’s previous-best finish this season was a playoff loss at the Sentry TOC, where he lost to Thomas, both past winners of the event, on the third hole of sudden-death.
Another avenged.
Reed has now won two WGC’s, a major (2018 Masters), and two FedExCup Playoffs events (Liberty National, New Jersey; Bethpage Black, New York).
His last four W’s read: WGC-Playoffs-Major-Playoffs.
Regardless how you cut it, he’s a big-game hunter and pretty consistent at that. Reed’s qualified for the season-ending TOUR Championship six consecutive times and there seems little doubt this season will be his seventh.
He’s not in the published field at this coming week’s Honda Classic, didn’t play there last year either, but should tee it up at the following week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational – finished T51 last year and T7 in 2018.
When he won the Cadillac in 2014, his next start, two weeks later, was a T52 at the API.
Of his eight wins, none have come in consecutive starts. Yet.
Final Leaderboard (DraftKings pre-tourney odds outright):
1- (-18, 266) Patrick Reed (45/1)
2- (-17, 267) Bryson DeChambeau (28/1)
3- (-15, 269) Jon Rahm (10/1)
3- (-15, 269) Erik van Rooyen (150/1)
5- (-14, 270) Rory McIlroy (6/1)
Note: Consecutive top-10 finishes in the event: McIlroy (5-2-7-3-9); Thomas (6-9-P2-5)
Reed’s Position by Round:
R1: T8 (4 back)
R2: T2 (1 back)
R3: T2 (1 back)
Leader/co-leaders by Round:
R1: Rory McIlroy (finished: 5th): Drops to 3-for-14 as 18-hole leader/co-leader
R2: Bryson DeChambeau (2nd): Drops to 0-for-7 as 36-hole leader/co-leader
R3: Justin Thomas (T6): Drops to 8-for-12 as 54-hole leader/co-leader
Season Leaders in Top-10 Finishes:
5: Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas
4: Patrick Reed, Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama, Billy Horschel, Webb Simpson, Byeong Hun An, Scottie Scheffler, Harris English
3: Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa, Joel Dahmen, Lanto Griffin, Tony Finau, Mark Hubbard, Tom Hoge, Abraham Ancer, Sungjae Im, Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland, Sebastian Munoz, Brendon Todd, Denny McCarthy, Carlos Ortiz
Consecutive Top 10s on TOUR:
6: Rory McIlroy (5-5-3-P1-3-1)
2: Bryson DeChambeau (2-5)
2: Hideki Matsuyama (6-5)
2: Billy Horschel (9-9)
Consecutive Top-10 Streak Ended at:
4: Webb Simpson (61-P1-3-P2-7)
By the Numbers:
14: Reed is the second straight OWGR No. 14 to win after Adam Scott (Genesis).
7/2: Reed’s revised outright betting entering R4.
1: Reed ranked No. 1 in SG: Putting (11.824), as did last year’s winner DJ (8.466).
3: This was Reed’s third come-from-behind win, first since the 2016 Barclays.
1: Reed ranks No. 1 in the Race to Dubai standings.
1: DeChambeau, who drops to 0-for-7 as a 36-hole leader/co-leader, records his first top 10 in six WGC’s and first top 25 (30th, 2018 Bridgestone), and his fourth career runner-up in 99 events, first since T2 at last season’s inaugural 3M Open last July.
2: Rahm’s T3 bumps him one spot to a career-tying-best 2nd in OWGR, displacing Brooks Koepka (idle) to 3rd.
61: Rahm’s 61 in R3 (1 ace, 9 birdies, 1 bogey), was a career low in 276 rounds, previously 62 (x3), and set a new tournament and course record.
T3: Non-member van Rooyen’s T3 was highlighted by a then-course-record 62 in R2. The one-time winner in 78 events on the European Tour (2019 Scandinavian Invitation) records a career best on the PGA TOUR in 10 starts, bettering a T8 at the 2019 PGA in his tourney debut. It’s his first top 10 in four WGC’s, brushing aside a previous-best T22 at the 2019 HSBC (WGC debut).
3: Through 20 (non-team) events this season, the pre-tourney fave/co-fave has won three times: Viktor Hovland (12/1) at opposite-field Puerto Rico Open; McIlroy (6/1) at WGC-HSBC; Thomas (13/2) at THE CJ CUP. Last season, two fave/co-faves won (in 45 non-team events): McIlroy (12/1 co-fave) at THE PLAYERS, and Collin Morikawa at the opposite-field Barracuda (10/1).
6/1: World No. 1 McIlroy, a pre-tourney 6/1 fave outright, fell one spot to solo 5th after a Sunday 68 out of the penultimate threesome. Last year, he led by one after R1 before finishing runner-up. This year, the reigning FEC champ led by 2 after R1 (65-69-68-68).
1: For a second straight event (Genesis), just one TOUR rookie got in and by default, Scottie Scheffler takes top-rookie honors with a T26 (73-70-67-70) in his WGC debut.
23: 23 players were making either their tourney or WGC debut. Sebastian Munoz was the top-finisher of the bunch with T14 (71-66-72-67) in his WGC debut.
Back in December, Reed went 1-3-0 in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne (Australia) as a controversial captain’s pick, dropping to 5-6-2 in the event. His three losses, however, were in a stubborn, unsuccessful teaming with Webb Simpson the first three sessions in a row.
Of course, when solo on Sunday, he drubbed C.T. Pan 4-and-2 to secure the second full point of the day, joining captain Tiger Woods’ 3-and-2 dispatch of Abraham Ancer.
Presidents Cup participants from December have now won six of eight TOUR events since the calendar flipped to 2020, two straight.
Reed’s Season:
Starts: 7
Cuts Made: 6
Top 25s: 5
Top 10s: 4
Wins: 1
Season Form: 1-51-6-P2-8-17
Note: Finished T8 at the season’s first WGC (HSBC) and arrived off a T51 at last week’s Genesis.
Reed on Sunday:
After opening with 69-63-67, he began T2, one back.
Playing out of the final threesome, Reed conjured seven (of 14) fairways and 11 greens in regulation, losing 0.388 strokes off-the-tee and 1.418 on approach, but gaining 1.360 around.
Reed outflanked a lone bogey-5 at 18 with five birdies at 1, 12 and 15-17, posting 1.545 putts per GIR and 3.043 SG: Putting with 25 total putts, buoyed by two par-savers from between nine and 11 feet at 3 and 11.
His birdie split featured the 17-footer for birdie-2 at 17, and a 3-foot 3-incher at 16 after stuffing his approach from 142 yards out.
For the week, Reed tallied 25 birdies, T1 in that stat, against seven bogeys.
OUT: 1-under 34 (1 birdie, NO bogeys); Co-leads w/ Rahm, van Rooyen
IN: 3-under 33 (4 birdies, 1 bogey); WINS by 1 (over DeChambeau)
How Reed Won the Tournament:
Ranked 1st (or T1) in: SG: Putting; Total Birdies; Birdie to Bogey Ratio; Putts per GIR; Total Putts; One-Putt Percentage
Ranked 2nd (or T2) in: Birdie or Better Percentage
Note: See “Leaders in Strokes Gained stats” at the bottom, along with his full stats.
Lowest-Ranked Stat(s): GIR (T52); Driving Distance all drives (49th); SG: Off-the-Tee (43rd)
Reed’s TOUR Career:
Starts: 211
Cuts Made: 168 (79.6%)
Top 25s: 101 (47.8%)
Top 10s: 44 (20.8%)
Top 3s: 14 (6.6%)
Wins: 8 (3.7%)
Wins by Season:
2020: 1
2019: 1
2018: 1
2017: --
2016: 1
2015: 1
2014: 2
2013: 1
Reed at WGC-Mexico:
Starts: 7
Top 25s: 4
Top 10s: 2
Wins: 2
Mexico Form: 1-14-37-61
Trump National Doral Form: 52-23-1
Reed in WGC’s:
Starts: 25
Top 10s: 8 (32.0%)
Wins: 2
Form (last six): 1-8-24-14-7
Strength of Field:
With a Strength of Field rating of 659 (down 61 from last season), Reed banks 70.00 world-ranking points and 550 FedExCup points:
OWGR: From 14 to 8 (up 6)
FEC: From 33 to 5 (up 28)
Field Scoring Average:
This was the 21st edition, fourth and fourth consecutive at Chapultepec.
R1: 72.389
R2: 70.278
R3: 69.750
R4: 69.597
Total: 70.503
Patrick Reed: 69-63-67-67
SG: Total: 16.014
Draw:
N/A
11
11 (of 20) tourneys so far this season with a traditional draw:
Winners:
EARLY/late: 8 (Hovland at Puerto Rico Open)
LATE/early: 3
Low Rounds:
R1: 65: Rory McIlroy
R2: 62: Erik van Rooyen; career low
R3: 61: Jon Rahm; career low
R4: 64: Brandt Snedeker, Cameron Smith
Bogey-free Rounds:
R1: (0): NONE
R2: (1): Erik van Rooyen (62)
R3: (3): Justin Harding (67); Scottie Scheffler (67); Billy Horschel (68)
R4: (4): Xander Schauffele (66); Sergio Garcia (66); Christiaan Bezuidenhout (67); Rafa Cabrera Bello (68)
Multiple Bogey-free Rounds:
NONE
20
Season Winners:
8 winners were in their 20s (Hovland age: 22; Reed age: 29)
11 were in their 30s
1 was in their 40s
Reed’s Weekly Stats (ranking of 72 players):
Birdies: 25 (T1)
Bogeys: 7 (T4)
Birdie or Better: 34.72% (T2)
Birdie to Bogey Ratio: 3.57 (1st)
Par-3 Scoring: 2.81 (T3)
Par-4 Scoring: 3.82 (T4)
Par-5 Scoring: 4.42 (T8)
Driving Distance (all drives): 300.0 yards (49th)
Driving Accuracy: 31/56 (T38) at 55.36%
GIR: 44/72 (T52) at 61.11%
Proximity to Hole: 36’6” (T25)
Putts per GIR: 1.523 (1st)
Total Putts: 98 (1st)
One-Putts: 45 (1st) at 62.50%
Putts by Round: 26-23-24-25
Scrambling: 22/28 (3rd) at 78.57%
All-Around: (12th)
Leaders in Strokes Gained:
SG: Off-the-Tee
1. Sergio Garcia (6.126)
2. Gary Woodland (6.014)
3. Billy Horschel (6.000)
4. Bryson DeChambeau (5.990)
5. Rory McIlroy (5.771)
43. Patrick Reed (-1.012)
SG: Approach-the-Green
1. Xander Schauffele (10.232)
2. Hideki Matsuyama (9.021)
3. Victor Perez (7.186)
4. Sebastian Munoz (6.9160
5. Lanto Griffin (5.818)
27. Patrick Reed (2.011)
SG: Around-the-Green
1. Brandt Snedeker (5.440)
2. Erik van Rooyen (4.247)
3. Byeong Hun An (3.598)
4. Patrick Reed (3.190)
5. Pablo Larrazabal (3.163)
SG: Putting
1. Patrick Reed (11.823)
2. Louis Oosthuizen (8.873)
3. Bryson DeChambeau (6.347)
4. Jordan Spieth (6.343)
5. Bubba Watson (6.077)
SG: Tee-to-Green
1. Tyrrell Hatton (10.596)
2. Hideki Matsuyama (10.332)
3. Rory McIlroy (9.960)
4. Xander Schauffele (8.952)
5. Erik van Rooyen (8.880)
16. Patrick Reed (4.192)
