REED IT AND WEEP
Patrick Reed faces £10,000 fine after snapping club in two during extraordinary US Open meltdown
Patrick Reed completed his descent from Captain America to super villain with an extraordinary meltdown at the US Open.
The 2018 Masters champion has always sparked controversy, and he faces a fine of around £10,000 for breaking a club across his knee, after making a hash of the 18th hole at Pebble Beach.
3
3
The final straw for Reed came when he duffed a shot while hacking his way around the green – after being just short of the putting surface at the par five in two.
Two wild swishes that flew over the putting surface into deep rough left Reed facing a delicate chip for his FIFTH shot.
When he stubbed it a couple of feet into more rubbish, he snapped – and so did his club.
As he looked at the two halves of his lob wedge, it seemed to dawn on Reed that he really needed a club with maximum loft to help him get up and down for the double bogey he needed to make the cut.
He had to reach for another wedge, and flopped his ball down to a couple of feet before rolling the ball in – prompting a social media frenzy, with fans mocking his angry antics.
Reed, 28, became a cult hero when he played a starring role in America’s only Ryder Cup win in the last ten years, at Hazeltine in 2016.
That came after he famously held his finger to his lip told the Gleneagles crowds to ‘shush’ during his debut two years earlier.
MOCKED FOR OUTBURST
But his popularity has nosedived, especially after the bitter rift with his Augusta-based family was revealed during his Masters triumph – he banned them from attending the event, forcing them to watch his victory on TV.
And he came in for more criticism after complaining he was “blindsided” when his successful partnership with Jordan Spieth was broken up at last year’s Ryder Cup, with team-mates saying he actually knew about it well in advance.
There were a few boos, and shouts of “How many clubs have you got in the bag, Patrick?” when Reed walked onto the first tee at the start of the third round.
He could take a few lessons from playing partner Rhys Enoch in how to deal with adversity.
The Welshman bounced back from an opening 78 with a brilliant five under par 66 to make it through to the weekend.
Only leader Gary Woodland went lower on day two, with the 65 that propelled him two shots clear of first round pace-setter Justin Rose at nine under par.
Enoch, who will celebrate his 31st birthday tomorrow, said his thoughts turned to how proud his brother would have been, as he made the five footer that clinched his place among the 79 players who made it through to the weekend.
He said: “I had a little think about Ben afterwards. It is ten years since he died, but he’s always with me. He would have loved this.”
And European Tour journeyman Enoch had no qualms about playing alongside golf’s Mr Angry in round three.
Latest golf news
He added: “I played with Patrick in the third round of the Open at Carnoustie last year as well, and he’s great to play with.
“I found him very friendly, and we stayed in touch – we even played a practice round together this week.
“I always take people as I find them, and he’s a good lad. He’s won the Masters so it’s great for me to be playing alongside guys like that.”
3
Topics