Patrick Reed Wins Humana Challenge

By City News Service

Patrick Reed completed the first wire-to-wire victory in the $5.7 million Humana Challenge since 1977 Monday, despite a four-bogey round of one-under-par 71 at the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West.

Reed shot three consecutive rounds of nine-under-par 63 for a three- round total of 27-under-par 189, with just two bogeys over the first three rounds.

Following a birdie on the second hole today, the 23-year-old Texan alternated bogeys and birdies on the fifth through eighth holes, with bogeys on the fifth and seventh and birdies on the sixth and eighth.

Reed sandwiched bogeys on the 10 and 12th holes around a birdie on the 11th. He also birdied the 15th hole and tapped in a four-inch putt for an par on the 18th hole for a two-shot victory over Ryan Palmer.

"I started towards the end playing for par, just because I knew pars weren't going to hurt me," Reed said after his second PGA Tour victory. He also won last year's Wyndham Championship.

Reed said his final round "wasn't pretty, but it was a lot less stressful than I thought,"

"To have a day where I felt like I had probably about my C or D game and still shoot under par and to close off a victory, that means a lot to me," Reed said.

Reed earned $1.026 million for the victory.

This was the second time in the history of the tournament a player had led wire-to-wire, while holding sole possession of the lead at the end of each round.

The other player to accomplish the feat was Rik Massengale in 1977 when the tournament was known as the Bob Hope Desert Classic. The tournament has been played annually since 1960.

During his news conference following the victory, Reed recalled meeting former President Bill Clinton, whose foundation co-sponsors the tournament.

"He came up and shook our hand and introduced himself and we talked for a little bit on the driving range, right before the first round," Reed said.

"It's always a fun experience to meet a president. I met President (Barack) Obama after we won NCAAs and to meet President Clinton, it's (a) cool feeling, that's for sure. And to actually sit down and just talk to him on a driving range, just like we're all normal people, it's fun."

Reed said Clinton "basically told me to have a good week."

Reed said when Clinton heard that Reed's wife Justine was expecting a daughter, the couple's first child, "he just told us that .. his best experience of his life was his child."

"It's nice to hear that," Reed said. "I can't wait to be a dad and have a little girl running around at the golf course and whenever I come home have her run up, hanging out with dad."