Patrick Reed has admitted he was shocked at what his caddie asked him to do on the 18th during the first day of LIV Golf Houston.
The American, playing in his hometown event, carded a five-under 67 to sit three shots back of the lead.
Reed, starting on the first hole, made two quickfire birdies before dropping a shot on the par-five fourth.
The 2018 Masters champion bounced back nicely on his remaining 14 holes, picking up four shots, including a birdie on the 18th.
And, during his post-round press conference, the American claimed he was shocked at what his caddie, Kessler, asked him to do.
Patrick Reed shocked at what his caddie said on the 18th at LIV Golf Houston
Reed is one of the main attractions this week and among the fan favourites in LIV’s inaugural Texas event.
And when asked about his impressive closing hole, the 33-year-old admitted he was shocked at Kessler’s suggestion to hit a fade.
“That last shot on 18, we’ve been hitting a couple of shots left this week and today,” he explained. “Kessler [Reed’s caddie] was sitting there and said, ‘Hey, what do you think about hitting a fade’ with the iron shot. I was like, ‘Hang on, wait, a fade?’.
“You’re supposed to hit a fade to the right pin. We stepped up and hit one there on 17 with a faded five, and then I got on 18 and hit seven iron. I started it where it finished. I started it right there, hit the fade back, held into the wind a little bit and ended up in the perfect spot.
“To be able to pull it off and hit it pin high and have a look at birdie was nice.”
Low scoring affair during round one of LIV Golf Houston
It was a low-scoring day during the first round of LIV Golf’s Houston event, with several surprise names emerging near the top of the leaderboard.
Ian Poulter, who has endured a tough 2024 to date, sits alongside Reed on five under, as does his compatriot, Paul Casey.
Lee Westwood also enjoyed one of his better rounds of the year, carding a three-under 69, which included a double bogey and an eagle.
Caleb Surratt is another surprise name who shares the lead on seven under alongside Cleeks duo Martin Kaymer and Adrian Meronk.
The 20-year-old American is currently 31st in the individual standings and has a season-high finish of 12th, coming in the second event in Las Vegas.
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