Arnett: Reed's mental toughness places him in elite company

KAPALUA, Maui -- Patrick Reed exited the Honolua country store decked out in a white T-shirt and board shorts, looking like any other tourist vacationing at Kapalua.

His wife and former caddie, Justine, was by his side, and the twosome was preparing for another day in paradise on this typical Tuesday morning in West Maui. When a reporter congratulated them and said he was sorry they weren't going over to Oahu for the Sony Open in Hawaii, Reed replied, "Nah, man. We're going to relax for a few days and take it all in."

Reed took it to the house on Monday afternoon, rallying from four shots back with four holes to go to capture the prestigious Hyundai Tournament of Champions in a one-hole playoff over 2014 Sony Open winner Jimmy Walker.

Reed is best known for declaring himself one of the top five golfers in the world after winning the World Golf Championships at Doral last spring. The ribbing the Houston resident endured from his fellow competitors seemed to knock him off his game over the coming months.

He struggled afterward, only to awaken in September as one of the few Americans to perform well at the Ryder Cup rout by the Europeans. Now, with PGA Tour victory No. 4 safely tucked away in his golf bag, the 14th-ranked player in the world joins some pretty elite company.

He is only the fifth golfer in the past 25 years to win four times before turning 25. The remaining four? Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy. Reed is part of a 20-something contingent that's forcing out the old guard and bringing in a new generation of golfers post-Woods. Among the 25 and younger set, Reed might be as mentally tough as any of them.

And let's be clear, this isn't some guy born with a silver putter by his side, either. Before securing his tour card, Reed was known as the king of the Monday qualifiers, who had to beat out equally hungry golfers just to get in the field. He turned pro in 2011 and became a tour member in 2013.

The next step for this 6-foot 200-pounder is to perform well at the majors. His collegiate career started out at the University of Georgia and ended at Augusta State. What happened in between only Reed knows for sure, but if anyone is familiar with Bobby Jones' pasture, it's this native Texan, who has a flair for the dramatic.

Granted, Walker had to help him pocket the $1.14 million check he earned with Monday's playoff victory over an elite field, but he was more than up for the task once Walker opened the door and let him in. While Walker was making a mess of his 19th hole -- he had a 6-footer for par just to stay alive in sudden death -- Reed closed it out with an 18-foot birdie putt, and a nice fist pump when the ball found the bottom of the cup.

"I thought my chances were slim," Reed said of winning. "I kept on saying to myself, 'You don't know what can happen.' "

Certainly Walker didn't. He had his chances, but the back nine of the Plantation Course had other ideas. Walker birdied the 10th and seemed in complete control. But he never circled another number on his card, and with a bogey 5 at 14, he allowed Reed to have a chance.

Like any other golfer out here, the goal is to be No. 1 in the world. At the moment, McIlroy holds that position and will be looking to complete his own grand slam with a victory at the Masters in April. But with Reed in hot pursuit, as he says, anything can happen on a golf course. Something Walker knows all too well.

"I mean everyone is trying to get to the best in the world," Reed said. "But that's going to take a long time. It's nothing that happens overnight, that's for sure."

This article was written by Paul Arnett from The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.