Patrick Reed’s plan heading into Sunday at the WGC-Mexico Championship was pretty straightforward.
“Continue to put the ball in play, continue to get the ball on the greens, let the putter do some work, and hopefully come the back nine tomorrow we’ve got a shot,” Reed said after Saturday’s third round.
Reed’s thoughts couldn’t have come much closer to fruition than Sunday at Club de Golf Chapultepec. Reed went out and shot a four-birdie, no bogey 67 to overtake Bryson DeChambeau after DeChambeau had a two-stroke lead late on the back nine.
Reed, however, pitched one close on the par-4 12th for birdie then grabbed another at the par-5 15th. On 16, he stuffed a gap wedge from 143 yards for another birdie and grab the lead as DeChambeau stumbled. A third birdie in a row on the par-3 17th from 17 feet, six inches gave him a two-stroke cushion heading into the final hole. It was the last of 45 one-putts Reed had for the week and it proved needed as he would bogey the final hole to win by one.
Reed’s win was aided by an area of the game he tends to excel at as he scrambled well all week, converting 13 of 16 opportunities with a pair of Titleist Vokey wedges and a Callaway MD Jaws 5 lob wedge. He also putted well, using his Scotty Cameron by Titleist Tour Rat blade to lead the field in strokes gained/putting for the week.
Put the ball in play, get it on the green and let the putter do the work. In a week where much was made of the calculations needed to figure out the altitude in Mexico City, Reed’s simple mantra turned out to be the winning formula.
What Patrick Reed had in the bag at the WGC-Mexico Championship
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G400 (Fujikura Ventus 6 Blue X), 9 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Mavrik, 15 degrees
5-wood: Callaway Apex, 20 degrees
Irons (4-PW): Artisan
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 (50 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM8 (56 degrees); Callaway Jaws MD5 (60 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Tour Rat