Patrick Reed disappointed with drives

Something happened to former Augusta State All-American Patrick Reed between the practice range and the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday morning.

The outspoken Masters Tournament rookie, who has won three of his past 15 PGA Tour starts, was feeling good about his driver – until the round started.

“I hit the ball great on the driving range this morning,” Reed said after shooting 1-over-par 73, which left him five shots off Bill Haas’ lead.

On the course, Reed hit only half of the fairways and averaged 276.50 yards per drive, well below his normal numbers, and was behind playing partners Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth in the fairway all day.

“I have to hit the ball more solid, and I definitely have to hit the driver straighter,” said Reed, who said he was trying to guide his tee shots in an effort to control them. “If you’re playing out of the rough and you’re hitting it right on No. 10 and you’ve got 190 to the hole and the other guys have 150 into the hole, you’re going to have a long day.”

It wasn’t just his driver that caused problems. With the exception of a 9-iron he hit to set up a birdie on No. 14, Reed said “everything was either thin or a little unsolid.”

Reed said the 73 was the highest round he’d ever shot at Augusta National after firing three 72s while playing the course in college. He said the course didn’t play any differently under tournament conditions, with the exception of the greens being faster and firmer.

“I felt like I hit it really bad,” he said. “If I do half the things better tomorrow, I’ll be fine. It was just one of those things. It was a rough day.”

Reed planned to go home and rest, then “get back and do my drills and be ready for tomorrow,” when he will be paired again with McIlroy and Spieth, who both shot 71. They will go off at 1:59 p.m.

“I felt like I didn’t do anything really well today,” Reed said. “Even without doing anything well today, I still only shot 1-over par. If I get it turned around and hit the ball solid, who knows?”

Reed was 2-under through 15 holes but bogeyed his final three. He felt a little unlucky to make the bogey on the par-4 17th hole.

“If it flies a foot farther, it’s fine,” Reed said. “It landed literally a foot over that bunker, which is right on that severe downslope. If it flies a yard farther than that and lands on a flat spot, I’ve probably got 15 or 20 feet for birdie.”

Instead, he failed to get it up-and-down for par.

Augusta native Larry Mize, the other player in the field with area ties, also struggled on the second nine. He was 1-under through 10 holes but bogeyed Nos. 11, 13 and 14 for 3-over 39 on the back and 74 on the day.

“It was a little up and down,” said the 55-year-old Mize, the 1987 Masters champion. “I played a pretty solid front nine even though I hit a few suspect shots with my irons, but my putter kind of saved me a couple of times.”

Mize left the course kicking himself for failing to make his 6-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

“That was disappointing; I had a really good chance for birdie,” he said. “I didn’t kill myself today. I’ve just got to come back and play good tomorrow.”

When told that Reed, who is 32 years younger, only beat him by a shot, Mize said, “Golf is a great game and there are many different ways to do it. Experience and knowledge can help an older guy here hang in with the younger guys.”