MAMARONECK, N.Y. – Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau were already becoming frequent practice-round partners and have been paired together three times in the past two months. On Saturday, they’ll share their biggest stage yet: the final group of the 120th U.S. Open.
Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, held tough with a second-round 70 to take the halfway lead at Winged Foot at 4-under 136, one shot ahead of DeChambeau.
It figures to be a comfortable third-round pairing for both.
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“They get along well,” said Josh Gregory, who is Reed’s performance coach and who coached DeChambeau while he was at SMU. “They’re both a little different. They do their own things and keep to themselves and have a tight-knit group around them. They both respect each other’s work ethic. It’ll be a really nice fit for both of them.”
Earlier this week Reed and DeChambeau played a U.S. Open practice round together, when their disparate games were on display. Reed told a story of how, on the dogleg-right eighth hole, he peeled a low fade around the trees. DeChambeau, meanwhile, took his drive upstairs, blasting it over the trees.
“He sends it to the moon,” Reed said. “I hit it underneath the trees. He hits it over the trees. The height he’s hitting the ball, I mean, it’s vertical.”
“It’s going to be good. I look forward to playing with him,” Reed added. “I always enjoy playing with Bryson.”