Patrick Reed is ready to put his foot down as he bids to bookend his year in the Middle East by claiming the Race to Dubai crown.
The American, who led the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World for a large part of the season following early victories in Dubai and Qatar, arrives at the DP World Tour Championship third behind Rory McIlroy and Eugenio Chacarra knowing he needs a big week to end the season as DP World Tour Number One.
"The mindset, I mean, obviously I feel well but the mindset coming in obviously is it's a sprint," he said on Tuesday.
"I mean, we have one tournament, kind of have to go out there with Rory and Eugenio ahead of me. You have to think the only way to win the whole thing is by winning this golf tournament.
"So you have one opportunity. Go out there and try and get it done, and that's kind of the mindset going into this. Just put it down, step down on the gas and get going."
The 2018 Masters winner enjoyed a stunning International Swing in the Middle East in January and February, winning a maiden Rolex Series title at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, losing in a play-off at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and then winning the Qatar Masters in consecutive weeks.
That catapulted him to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World and there he sat for most of the season until Chacarra's third victory of the campaign at last month's DP World India Championship saw the Spaniard replace him.
Having withdrawn with an injury during the BMW PGA Championship in September, Reed has returned to full fitness but has struggled to match results to how he feels his current form is.
Despite a disappointing spell, Reed is eager to get going on Thursday and is prepared for an exciting battle as he attempts to overtake both Chacarra and McIlroy.
"The body feels great," he said. "My body is a hundred per cent, so there's no issues there. It's been weird, ever since being back from that, I've actually felt like I've been doing some things really well. Just the ball not going in the hole. It's one of those that you head-scratch at the end of each day and try to figure out, how did that number equate to that high.
"The good thing is I'm at a golf course I'm really comfortable at. I've had success at this place. The game feels good and ready to go. Just kind of itching for Thursday to get here.
"It's going to be a blast. Obviously playing with Rory is always fun and to go head-to-head, and with having Eugenio in there who is playing some amazing golf this year. Had an opportunity to with him on LIV and see what type of golfer he is. It's great to see him grow and the way he's playing. It's going to be a fun weekend."
In line for one of the ten PGA Tour Dual Membership cards, Reed arrives at the Earth Course with plenty of experience upon which to draw.
The five-time DP World Tour winner is making his eighth appearance at the event, with a record that includes two top tens, a runner-up finish in 2018 and a tie for third in 2020.
And with that course knowledge behind him, Reed believes discipline will be key this week, with much of his focus on picking the right moments to attack with his approach shots.
"This is one of those golf courses that you have opportunities if you're hitting the ball well," he said. "You can attack this place, but this golf course has a little bit of patience in it. You can't be reckless at this place because you can get yourself into some spots, especially with how the rough is this week, you're going to get yourself into some really sticky situations where par is going to be a hard score to get out of from certain areas.
"For me, it's more about attacking on the second shot. I mean, not being too aggressive off the tee. Obviously this golf course because it's longer, there's a lot of drivers, anyways.
"But there's some holes that just you have to kind of lay back a little bit, like stay short of certain type of bunkers or things like that that are just penalising. It's one of those weeks that even though it's a sprint, you have to be disciplined, and if you do that, you should be able to get rewarded at the end."
