David Leadbetter is officially a member of Team Reed.
Justine Reed, the wife of reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed, told Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte via text message Monday that her husband has decided to continue working with the veteran swing coach after two lessons last week during the Valspar Championship.
“We are very proud to announce that Mr. David Leadbetter will be joining our team and we all look forward to working with him,” Justine Reed wrote.
Reed will also continue to work with longtime swing coach Kevin Kirk, Rosaforte reported.
Just to clarify, instructor Kevin Kirk will remain part of Patrick Reed's team and work alongside the Masters champion with David Leadbetter. Leadbetter told Golf Channel that he wasn't aware of Kirk remaining but added, "Whatever makes Patrick the most comfortable."
— Tim Rosaforte (@RosaforteGolf) March 26, 2019
It was Justine who texted Leadbetter last Thursday afternoon and asked if he could do an impromptu lesson with Patrick before Friday’s second round at Innisbrook. Reed went on to miss the cut, but he returned to the golf course Saturday morning for a second lesson with Leadbetter.
“Just trying to get a fresh perspective on the swing,” Reed told GolfChannel.com after Friday’s session.
Reed has struggled with his ballstriking this season. He ranks T-126 in strokes gained: off-the-tee, 149th in strokes gained: approach-the-green, 160th in greens in regulation and T-196 in proximity. At Valspar, he lost more than a half-shot off the tee and on approach to the green, and hit just 41.7 percent of his greens in two rounds. He missed 14 greens in Round 1 at Innisbrook, where he shot 77-75 to miss the cut in an event where he’s twice finished runner-up.
Reed also shot 78 in the final round of The Players.
“He’s been searching a little bit,” Leadbetter told Rosaforte via phone. “… He seemed a little frustrated.”
Leadbetter said that he likes Reed’s golf swing and that it didn’t need “major reconstruction.” The two worked on Reed’s setup, posture and balance while also trying to shorten Reed’s swing.
“He seems very happy [with the progress]. … He likes the sensations and shots he’s seeing,” said Leadbetter, who added that he believes this week’s WGC-Dell Match Play will be an opportune time for Reed to test what he’s worked on with Leadbetter in a competitive situation.
The Masters is two weeks away.
“We’ll see what happens,” Leadbetter said.
– Information from Tim Rosaforte and Golf Channel’s editorial research unit was used in this report. Updated on Tuesday, March 26 at 11:22 a.m. ET