Patrick Reed has enjoyed a positive start to The Masters, having finished round one on one-under par.
Reed loves playing hole 12 at Augusta, with the iconic Georgian course playing host to The Masters this week.
The American ended his opening round on 71, tying for 10th place with the likes of Min Woo Lee and Brian Harman as he entered the clubhouse.
His compatriot Scottie Scheffler made a strong start to his title defence at Augusta, having also won The Masters in 2022.
Scheffler carded three-under in his front nine and one-under in his back nine to finish on four-under par, three shots ahead of Reed.
Patrick Reed wanted to break his putter despite one-under opening round at The Masters
Reed meanwhile was left hugely frustrated with one area of his game, having been asked post-round how much he learned that he can take into his next two rounds.
“I’d better learn to putt better,” he replied. “Plain and simple. I hit the ball fine. I gave myself plenty of looks.
“Yeah, when I missed the fairway on 7, I think that was my only fairway I missed. I made sure I put it in the right spot because I couldn’t get to… really get to the flag.
“I missed in the right spot and was able to get up-and-down there. Besides that, I hit it fine. I just couldn’t make a putt at all.
“That’s the biggest problem. You have to make putts out here. At least I feel like the ball was starting straight. Just couldn’t get the ball to the hole.”
Reed, now a LIV Golf player, then added: “You want to break it. You want to break the putter. That’s what you want to do.”
And when asked if he didn’t break it, the Masters champion in 2018 simply responded: “No. I should have.”
Patrick Reed jokes ‘flatstick is on vacation’ in Masters round one analysis
Reed’s putting struggles coincided with many others impressing in that area, although Augusta did also claim plenty of victims in round one.
The 34-year-old certainly knows the course well, with the former champion now making his 12th Masters start.
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His post-round frustration was evident, although the LIV Golf man was seemingly slightly more upbeat when analysing parts of his first day.
Discussing his place among the field, he said: “Yeah, it puts me in fine position. Realistically, I gave myself a good look on 1, missed.
“Good look on 2, left it short right in the heart. Shocker. Hit it to four-and-a-half feet on 3, missed it. Three-putted 5.
“Made birdie on 8 and 9. Made bogey on 10. Missed a five-footer for birdie on 11. Had a 12 to 14-footer for birdie on 12 I missed.
“Had a 15-footer for birdie on maybe 15 feet on 14 stopped right in the jaws short. Missed there on 18 right in the heart short from 12 feet. So I was hitting it fine.
“Ball striking wasn’t a problem. The flatstick is on vacation and needs to kind of show up. It needs to get on a flight and meet me here.”
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