whether Patrick Reed's crazy golf schedule was worth it

Reed did get one reprieve from the Monday qualifying grind just prior to the Texas Open, when he and Karain were pulled off the third hole thanks to a last-minute sponsor's exemption. Reed took advantage, making the cut and finishing tied for 35th.

"I have no status, so we're playing Callaway Razr X Tour irons for the status," said Reed, who always talks about his career journey as "we," since Karain has just as much invested in it as he does. "If I play my game, I can be out here. I know that. A lot of the people that are behind me have told me that as well, and that builds my confidence."

Reed shot 4-under par, was in a playoff and got in on the second hole of sudden death. He then made the cut at the Zurich Classic, before getting on a plane to head to Greenville, N.C. He got up the next morning for yet another Monday qualifier.

Just after playing the final round of the Valero Texas Open in April, Reed and Karain quickly packed a few things, jumped in the car, and raced to the site of another Monday qualifier for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Reed made his third straight cut and finished tied for 32nd. After watching The Players Championship on TV, Reed came to Dallas to qualify for the Nelson. He played a practice round at Lantana on Sunday and then had one of his best days on a golf course Monday when it counted.

"I was hitting the ball great but wasn't putting very well," Reed said. "I had 15 feet and thought it was breaking left. Justine made the perfect read. She said it was breaking right. I wasn't putting [well] so I said, 'I'll go with your read.' I made it and got in without a playoff. If I hadn't made it, it would have been an 11-man playoff for three spots."

"We got to New Orleans at 2:45 in the morning, and the wake-up call came at 6:45," said Karain, a 25-year-old nurse who caddies for Reed. "We made it on adrenaline."

At the Zurich Classic, Reed said he was unable to get anything going until his final nine, when he shot 5-under for the last eight holes to vault to 24th.

"At least after that we could fly to the next Callaway Diablo Edge Driver, but we still got in at 1:15 Monday morning and had to qualify that day," said Reed, who turned pro nearly a year ago after helping Augusta State to back-to-back NCAA golf championships.

This is how Reed, who lives in Houston, is making his living these days. And it isn't easy. But the 21-year-old, with a huge assist from Karain, is traveling to every PGA Tour event that isn't an invitational and trying to qualify that Monday. So far, he's doing a very good job of it.

Reed is making Monday qualifying a habit, doing it in four consecutive non-invitational PGA Tour events. In the first three, he also managed to make the cut. He took an important step Thursday discount golf clubs by making the cut at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, shooting a 1-under 69. A good round Friday, and Reed could once again earn a check this weekend.

As Reed looked over a birdie putt on his last hole that day to get into the Wells Fargo Championship, he thought it was going to break left.