Reed expects different challenge at Maridoe with shift to stroke play

CARROLLTON, Texas – Last year, Maridoe Golf Club was the stage for Ripper GC’s victory at the LIV Golf Team Championship. This season, it hosts LIV Golf Dallas presented by Aramco, with Texas native Patrick Reed anticipating a vastly different challenge.

Match play encourages aggressive tactics, often prioritizing bold shots over cautious ones. In stroke play, a single poor decision can lead to multiple lost shots, not just a single hole.

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Speaking to the media before LIV Golf Dallas, Reed elaborated on the contrast: “It was set up more for match play so you could take risks off the tee if you needed to. There's always two or three ways to play (each hole). After seeing the front nine yesterday, obviously you want to hit the ball, get it as far down there as you can, but it's more strategic, putting it in the right place, being able to attack the greens from there. It seems like from the rough you have to rely so much on how the ball is going to come out and watching the ball bounce and roll all over these hills, unlike from the fairway where the greens seem a little bit more receptive. You can attack.”

Reed emphasized the need for a different mindset: “It's kind of completely different. I would feel like just having control of the golf ball and really just kind of picking your spots and really focusing and diving into exactly what shot you're hitting and fully committing to it, considering last time I played here it was like, ‘Do I want to full send this over there, have kind of that 50/50 opportunity, or do I play it smart?’ It's just going into this place with a fresh mind and really a new look rather than sitting there and just kind of going for every birdie possible and full send because in match play it doesn't matter if you make a 3 or a 6. You're either 1-up, 1-down, or all square. It's not going to affect the scores much.”

Last year, the 4Aces GC star dominated his singles matches at Maridoe, defeating Thomas Pieters 5 and 4 in the quarterfinals and Branden Grace 1 up in the semifinals.

Reed’s familiarity with Maridoe gives him confidence, but the stroke play format requires a fresh approach as he aims to claim his first individual LIV Golf title.

“It would mean a lot,” Reed said. “It would be my first LIV event victory as an individual, but also to win at home is always special. Kicking off a five-week run with a win would give me confidence for the next four events.”