MELBOURNE, Australia — The words came out confidently, and without rancor. All was positive, and there would be no going down any dark mine-filled roads. Patrick Reed had enough of that. He let his clubs do the talking on Sunday.
Playing good golf typically puts a smile on the face of a professional golfer, and for Reed, the final day of the Presidents Cup was particularly satisfying after a tumultuous week of insults and questioning of character.
The 2018 Masters champion and seven-time PGA Tour winner came under fire in the wake of his shady rules violation in the Bahamas on Dec. 6, and it dogged him all the way to Australia and beyond.
Spectator abuse, media questions, a heated exchange and altercation involving his caddie, Kessler Karain, and the not-so-subtle murmurings of fellow players overshadowed Reed’s Presidents Cup experience and threatened to dwarf the United States team.
Although he would never admit it, captain Tiger Woods had to be wondering why he picked Reed to join his 12-man team back on Nov. 7.
The fact that Reed raced out to 6-up lead over C.T. Pan and cruised to a 4 and 2 victory, earning a crucial point for the Americans, helped quiet the noise, at least for one day.
“You make birdies, you don’t hear much,” Reed said. “The biggest thing, which I didn’t do early on this week, was we didn’t get up in our matches. We didn’t get up on top. When you’re not up on your matches, the other team, the crowd will get more vocal. If you get up in your match, the crowd will be pretty quiet. I was able to do that and silence a couple.”
That was not so easy to do when Reed and Webb Simpson floundered. They went 0-3 together and were particularly dreadful on Saturday, when they combined to make just one birdie in best ball. During Friday’s foursomes, they also made just one birdie. They led their three matches for a total of one hole.
And with each lost hole came more reason to jump on Reed, who did himself no favors the way he handled the rules issue in the Bahamas, the one where he was penalized for improving his lie in the sand but claimed the television video distorted it.
Players from the International team, including Cameron Smith, called out Reed for holding the rules in such loose regard and made it known he’d have no problem if spectators attending the Presidents Cup let Reed know about it. And throughout the week, they did.
It got so bad on Saturday that Karain couldn’t take it any longer. A spectator crossed the line with abuse, and Karain took matters into his own hands by going after the heckler. The brother of Reed’s wife, Justine, Karain ended up causing another distraction, eventually being told by the PGA Tour to take Sunday’s singles off.
What a wild ride it has been for Reed, mostly turbulent. He caused controversy at last year’s Ryder Cup, lamenting being split from a successful partnership with Jordan Spieth, thus dissing Woods in the process. The rules issue only enhanced Reed’s polarizing persona.
Still, Woods picked him to be part of the team that won 16-14 on Sunday, despite the negativity of Paris and the Ryder Cup. The idea was that one of America’s best match players, who relished this competition, was far too valuable to leave at home. And to not pick him would continue to stoke old Ryder Cup wounds.
That seemed tame by comparison. Reed, so reliable in team competition going back to the 2014 Ryder Cup, had been 10-4-4 in both competitions prior to last year. He’s since gone 2-6 and seen his record slip to 12-10-4.
Perhaps more telling. Reed is 8-1-3 with Spieth, but 0-7 with everyone else. His only victories the past two years have been in singles, the format where his lone wolf mentality resides.
Now it might be time for a reset. Not just because in Reed’s nine events since the Tour Championship in August, he’s played in nine different countries — none of which is the United States. (Germany, the Netherlands, England, Japan, China, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, The Bahamas and Australia.)
No, perhaps it is time for some reflection, some introspection. Reed is a unique talent, a guy with plenty of moxie.
But his brashness has gotten him into trouble, and the way he doubled down on the rules incident without acknowledging remorse only served to make things worse. Seems the next few weeks, prior to the start of 2020, might be a window to sort some of that out, perhaps returning with a new perspective.
Reed wasn’t into reflection on Sunday. Asked what he learned about himself, it was all golf. “I think the biggest thing is just to continue grinding and not let the crowds or let people get in the way of what you’re trying to do, and that’s play golf,” he said. “The past couple of days were tough; today still wasn’t very easy. I played some amazing golf.”
He did, but just for one day. Perhaps it was a small step in what promises to be a long journey.