"I knew all I needed to do was continue to try to improve on my golf game, but at the same time just block out all the noise, no matter what it was"
Monday 24 February 2020 06:35, UK
Patrick Reed vowed to continue to "block out the noise" and focus on playing good golf as he ended another turbulent week in his career with his second World Golf Championship title.
The 29-year-old arrived in Mexico facing fresh accusations surrounding his integrity, with world No 2 Brooks Koepka hitting out at his Ryder Cup team-mate for allegedly cheating when asked about Reed's infamous antics in a fairway bunker at the Hero World Challenge in December.
He incurred a two-shot penalty for improving his lie in the sand, which Koepka clearly felt he did intentionally, and Reed's reputation suffered further damage when former CBS on-course commentator Peter Kostis claimed he had witnessed Reed attempting to improve his lie in the rough on four separate occasions.
Reed has been reluctant to discuss the comments from Koepka and Kostis throughout the week in Mexico, he was again evasive on the subject when pressed by the media following his impressive one-shot win over Bryson DeChambeau.
Asked how he dealt with the widespread negativity, Reed said: "I'm used to it! At the end of the day, all I can control is me and what I do on and off the golf course.
"If I feel like I'm improving each day on and off the golf course and setting a good example for the next generation coming up, the children, as well as my own children, then that's all I can do, and I feel like I've been doing a good job of that, and I feel like I've been growing as a person and as a golfer. That's all I can really do.
"I felt like I had something to prove to myself coming into this week because I feel like I've been playing some really solid golf and just haven't quite gotten over that hump to get the W, with losing in a play-off in Hawaii and then feeling like I played some solid golf at Torrey Pines.
"But then coming into this week, I knew we were in a good pattern and I knew all I needed to do was continue to try to improve on my golf game, but at the same time just block out all the noise, no matter what it was.
"I feel like I've been able to do that really well throughout my career, and growing up I've always been able to kind of, when I get inside the ropes around the golf course, just focus on what I need to do, and that's play golf."
Reed also played down suggestions of an awkward situation when he next crosses paths with Koepka, adding: "I'll just put the ball on the ground and hit my next shot.
"At the end of the day, we go out there, and the only thing we can control is what we do on the golf course, just go play golf and play the best we can. It doesn't matter if it's any of the guys, Brooks, Rory, DJ or Tiger.
"Those guys are in your group, you know you have to step up and play the best golf you can because you know how high calibre the guys are. You just go out there and play the best golf you can, and hopefully you're on the right side of it."
