Fined after celebrating first US win, Mel Reid is now hunting maiden major at Women's PGA
"I did celebrate on Sunday and got in a bit of trouble. It wouldn't have been me if I didn't get in trouble!"
By Keith Jackson
Last Updated: 08/10/20 12:10am
Mel Reid is fully focused on challenging for a first major title this week after incurring the wrath of the LPGA for excessive celebrating following her win at the weekend.
Reid and caddie Ryan "Des" Desveaux "partied quite hard" a few hours after she landed her first LPGA Tour title at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey, but her celebrations landed her in hot water with the authorities.
The English star was fined for breaching the LPGA's COVID-19 protocols, although she was happy to admit it would have been out of character for her to have avoided getting into trouble, and Reid insisted she will be refreshed and ready to take on a "beast" of a golf course at Aronimink.
"We obviously partied quite hard on Sunday, Des more than me," said Reid ahead of this week's KPMG Women's PGA Championship. "I was trying to be a little bit of sensible me, which is quite unusual.
"I did celebrate on Sunday and got in a bit of trouble. It wouldn't have been me if I didn't get in trouble! Yeah, I mean, I obviously took it a little bit easier than I probably would have done normally. Des did not. Des was not in good shape for a couple days.
"Today is the first day that I've actually felt a little bit tired, like I struggled a little bit this morning, but I decided to take the afternoon off, get some good rest and try and kind of get my energy levels up again because this golf course is demanding and you're going to have to stay fresh.
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"All the girls have been awesome and they've all congratulated me and been really happy for me, and that means the world to me. So right now, I'm just trying to focus on playing well this week."
Reid believes her patience will be tested to the limit by the long and demanding Aronimink course in Pennsylvania, but will her caddie have sobered up by the time she begins her first round on Thursday?
"You've got to stay patient, you're going to make bogeys, you're going to make three-putts and you're going to miss shots," she added. "It's basically whoever handles it the best is going to come out on top.
"It's just one of the hardest golf courses I've ever played, but I'm looking forward to the challenge, and hopefully I can stay fresh enough to be mentally in the right place come Sunday.
"You've just got to stay very, very fresh this week. It's just about being disciplined with that, and having a good caddie. I've got that in Des, if he's sobered up yet, I'm not sure - he was still a bit ropey this morning!"
Georgia Hall is also in great spirits having also won her first event in the United States a week prior to Reid, and she would feel honoured to emulate Dame Laura Davies - a two-time Women's PGA champion.
"Laura has won basically everything, so of course it would be an honour to join her," she said. "She's such an incredible player and definitely an idol growing up for me, and such a lovely person. It would be lovely to join her with winning this event.
"It definitely gives me more confidence now that I've won in the US. Obviously the courses are very different here than to the UK, and this is a different type of golf course altogether. It really is a beast.
"This is a proper golf course for sure, and it's what a major should be. It does seem extremely tough. The greens are actually very hard, as well, not just the golf course is very long. So definitely will be fun out there, and I'm really excited to tee it up."
