England’s Mel Reid always promised the party would be a big one if she were to break through and win on the LPGA, which she did on Sunday at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in neighboring New Jersey, and she didn’t disappoint. On social media on Sunday she posted a picture of her tall and beautiful Waterford crystal trophy filled with beer. Tuesday at Aronimink, she was back to work, looking to secure LPGA victory No. 2.
“It’s hard to win out here,” said Reid, a six-time winner in Europe and a member of three European Solheim Cup teams. “The caliber of players is so strong, so deep, that a lot of players can win out here. It is different in Europe, I think. I think it’s slightly easier to win in Europe obviously just because of the caliber of players, but it’s just a huge relief to get it done over here on American soil. I get a little bit of a chip off my shoulder and people stop asking me when I’m going to win. So yeah, it’s nice, a nice relief.”
Reid has quickly redirected her focus to this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, one of the biggest events of the season. The rest of her celebration was put on hold. Asked if she felt differently as a player, she said she did. Whereas she might come into a major looking to finish top 20 or top 30, that’s now a result that won’t satisfy her.
“I don’t think it (winning) has really settled in a hundred percent, to be honest,” she said as she walked Aronimink’s front nine for the first time. “I kind of feel like I had my night on Sunday and then you kind of get back into the frame of mind that it’s a major week, so I kind of took it slightly more sensible than I would have done in previous years. Back into business this week.”
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