Patrick Reed has often said he doesn’t care what people think about him. Judging by this New York Times interview, that includes his fellow teammates as well.
Speaking with Karen Crouse an hour after departing Le Golf National, where the Americans suffered a seven-point Ryder Cup loss, Reed ripped into Jordan Spieth and American captain Jim Furyk.
Reed, the reigning Masters champion, said he expected to be paired with Spieth in Paris, and communicated that desire to Furyk. With reason: the two proved to be a dynamic duo for the United States the last four team events. However, Spieth and Reed were split, Spieth joining forces with Justin Thomas, Reed tagged with Tiger Woods. A move, according to Reed, that was Spieth’s call.
“The issue’s obviously with Jordan not wanting to play with me,” Reed said. “I don’t have any issue with Jordan. When it comes right down to it, I don’t care if I like the person I’m paired with or if the person likes me as long as it works and it sets up the team for success. He and I know how to make each other better. We know how to get the job done.”
Yet, when the Americans were asked about the split at the post-event press conference, Spieth was diplomatic, saying it was a group decision that all were involved in. Furyk also jumped in, saying “Jordan and Patrick have been great in the past. Whether that’s a point of contention or not I felt we had two great pairings out of it. So it was totally my decision and my call.”
A moment which Reed called B.S.
“I was looking at (Jordan) like I was about to light the room up like Phil in ’14,” Reed said. He added, “Every day, I saw ‘Leave your egos at the door. They (the Europeans) do that better than us.”
Reed was also unhappy that Furyk sat him out for two sessions. “For somebody as successful in the Ryder Cup as I am, I don’t think it’s smart to sit me twice,” Reed said.
In his Saturday morning session with Woods, Reed, by an observer’s tally, shot 85. Over the weekend Reed’s wife Justine was angry about a GolfChannel.com editor’s comment on Reed’s less-than-steller play, and also made mention it was Spieth that wanted to break-up the pairing.
This is not the first time Reed has jabbed Spieth. Earlier in the season, Reed, in a spat with a rules official at Bay Hill, made a comment that Spieth would have received a more favourable ruling.
Reed went 0-2 with Woods as partner, winning his lone point of the weekend after the cup had already been decided. For his part, Spieth went 3-1 with Thomas.