Patrick Reed is predicting an explosive finish as he goes in search of a second European Tour title of the season on Sunday at the Porsche European Open.
The American’s maiden Major Championship triumph at the Masters Tournament earlier in the year was his first European Tour win for four years and he heads into the final round at Green Eagle Golf Courses just a shot off the lead.
Reed has also finished fourth at the US Open and in a tie for ninth at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play this season to sit second in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
The Ryder Cup talisman has always had a taste for the dramatic and with three par fives and two par threes to finish the back nine in Hamburg, he believes there could be fireworks on day four.
‘All the magic is going to happen on that back nine,’ he said. ‘There’s definitely going to be a lot of excitement so I just have to move on to tomorrow and take all the positives and try to go out and make some putts.’
He added: ‘I only hit three fairways again. I felt like I hit a lot of better tee shots today, a little like yesterday. I hit a lot of solid tee shots, just a couple didn’t find the fairway that I thought should have but I had too many lip-out putts. I had three lip-outs and two early on when I came back out.
‘Besides that and one bad drive that cost me a dropped shot, I feel like I’m leaving a ton of shots out there and not getting anything out of the rounds and it’s the difference of being behind going into Sunday and having a comfortable lead.
‘Whether I have the lead or don’t have the lead going into Sunday, as long as I’m in contention, I feel like I have a good shot and the good thing is, coming from behind, I can be a little more aggressive and go and attack the golf course.’
Reed played alongside Austrian Matthias Schwab on Saturday and the duo will go out together again after ending the day locked on 11 under.
Schwab is playing his rookie season on the European Tour and is relishing the chance to go out in the penultimate group on Sunday with a Major champion.
‘I’m in a good position heading into tomorrow and it’s a position I’ve never really been in as a professional, so that’s very exciting for me,’ he said. ‘I’m really looking forward to it and I’m sure it will be a great day.’
Credit: European Tour
