Posted on 04/08/2018 4:14:50 PM PDT by ethom
Patrick Reed is not the most popular guy. He's no people's champion, either. Reed could win 10 majors during his career and never come close to being as loved as Arnold Palmer or Phil Mickelson.
To those who have followed the sport over the last five years, Reed's past transgressions aren't news.
Back in 2015, golf writer Shane Ryan published an excerpt from his book Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour. In it, Ryan alleged that Reed cheated during a college golf team event. There were also accusations that Reed had stolen possessions from his teammates, including a watch, a wad of cash and a Scotty Cameron putter.
The excerpt from Ryan's book: “During a qualifying round prior to a tournament, according to sources, Reed hit a ball far into the rough. When he approached the spot, he found another ball sitting closer to the fairway, and was preparing to hit it when several of his teammates confronted him. Reed pled ignorance, but the other Georgia players were convinced he had been caught red-handed trying to cheat. That same fall, several items went missing from the Georgia locker room, including a watch, a Scotty Cameron putter, and $400 cash.
"When Reed showed up the next day with a large wad of cash, a teammate confronted him and asked how he’d come by the money. Reed said he’d played golf with a professor at the school and hustled him out of the cash. The player in question took this claim to the professor, who had no idea what he was talking about—it had been weeks since the man had played with Reed.”
Pretty juicy stuff. Reed denies that the aforementioned accusations were the reason he left UGA for Augusta State.
Beyond that, Reed has a notoriously fractured relationship with his family and, at times, has done little to endear himself to golf fans, including a particularly unsavoury incident when he called himself a "f**ing f***ot" after a three-putt at the WGC-HSBC Champions Event in November 2014.
He's always come across as brash and distant. His chest-pumping, shushing remonstrations towards European fans in the previous two Ryder Cups have certainly helped some quarters paint him as the pantomime villain.
Recently, Reed also rustled feathers among his fellow pros when, having been denied a free drop at a recent PGA Tour event, he said, “I guess my name needs to be Jordan Spieth, guys."
Now, Reed is winning The Masters, but it's fair to say he might not be the most warmly-received champion.
After his brilliant 67 on Saturday ensured he enters the final round with a three-shot cushion over Rory McIlroy, Twitter, rather unsurprisingly, made references to his coloured past.
Chris Davis @cdavis_63 If Patrick Reed wins the Masters I will never watch golf again. I will sell my golf clubs and never play again either. I’ll automatically hate the game for the rest of my life.
1:43 PM - Apr 6, 2018 318 159 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy
Bryan Ruef @RAISEtheRUEF I just want to be on the record saying this. I am absolutely fine with anyone winning the Masters other than that loose shirt wearing, dough boy lookin ass, stealing tigers red swag, phony Patrick Reed. God I hate that guy.
1:02 PM - Apr 6, 2018 219 83 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy
Riggs ✔ @RiggsBarstool Patrick Reed really trying to ruin this golf tournament for us.
3:42 PM - Apr 7, 2018 782 126 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy
Will Elliott @Will_Elliott22 Doesn’t shock me that Patrick Reed is stealing the show at The Masters; I mean he steals stuff all the time.
4:35 PM - Apr 7, 2018 · Tuscaloosa, AL 66 24 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy
Matty 'MC' One Putt @MattHolbrook86 I'd be so pleased if Patrick Reed is putting on a green jacket come Sunday.........said no-one ever.
4:26 PM - Apr 6, 2018 76 29 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy
Alan Shipnuck ✔ @AlanShipnuck 7 Apr This is getting silly.
Joshua OKeefe @JoshuaJOKeefe Would Patrick Reed be the first to NOT get invited to the Champions dinner
5:03 PM - Apr 7, 2018 44 22 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy
Gerry Callahan ✔ @GerryCallahan Spent the day rooting against Patrick Reed. What an awful day.
6:35 PM - Apr 7, 2018 115 50 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy
Taylor @Tator_Thott But I’m all honesty Patrick Reed was kicked of the UGA team for cheating on multiple occasions and stealing from Teammates
9:24 AM - Apr 8, 2018 3 See Taylor's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy
Rosemary E. Reehling @rosemaryeleanor Dottie just said...of Patrick Reed's shot..."that would have been stealing..." - I see what you did there, Dottie. Nice!
2:23 PM - Apr 7, 2018 2 See Rosemary E. Reehling's other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy Reed denying a Slam-chasing McIlroy would certainly be divisive. There can be no denying that he would be a worthy champion on the basis of his golf this week. Reed has been exceptional and it would be difficult to begrudge him his first major.
He may not win any popularity contests, sure, but isn't it a bit rich that, earlier this week, The Masters threatened to turn into a Tiger Woods love-in? It's interesting that golf fans will happily denounce Reed while they cheer on Woods, a man who has always been admired and celebrated, but not loved.
Reed has certainly produced enough quality to earn him that green jacket on Sunday evening but, make no mistake, the galleries will much rather see McIlroy or Rickie Fowler slipping into that coveted sports coat on the 18th green.
Of course, in the cut-throat, merciless world of Twitter, Reed's past was always going to be alluded to.
Patrick who? Who cares?
If you’re the heart of your national team, most people are willing to overlook your failings. All Reed needs to do is to keep on beating the Europeans and the World teams, and people will like him well enough. They don’t call him Captain America for nothing.
I agree, he is a pretty rough character, but he is our national rough character. I would compare him to Andrew Jackson, who got into a little trouble from time to time.
But but all those guys said Tiger Woods was going to make a big come back ,D’oh
he used to be the guy famous for having his wife as his caddy.
Shades of the Villanova player, who they just had to do through all of his Tweets from like five years ago.
He seems like the the kind of guy I would want to have on my side, if I were going into battle. Like General Grant.
I saw his notebook where he takes notes had the US flag as the cover.
So that’s what it’s called.
Patrick Reed is a Texan, born and bred. Soft people have a hard time relating to Texans. We don’t care.
it seems all of these liberal sports writers are quick to judge with no evidence when it suits them!
Didn’t he hit the tree on first hole during backstroke? Jim Nantz said he did. Shouldn’t that be a one stroke penalty?
All I saw today was a guy who putted incredibly well and withstood a ton of pressure from some very big names behind him. He deserved the Green Jacket.
yep, im not taking a short passage in a tiger woods book as gospel that he is a bad person!
LOL, he's the "Millwall FC" of golfers:
No one likes us
No one likes us
We don't care!
Reed was alos fortunate that his ball stayed up out of the water, that could have been a disaster
“Reed was alos fortunate that his ball stayed up out of the water, that could have been a disaster”
He a few lucky breaks today. His shots on or around the green had a lot of pace and hit the cup on 3 and 17 today. On another day those shots go by the hole 10-20 feet and he’s making bogey. Tiger Woods always says you need some luck to win.
If Patrick Reed were, for example, an unrepentant Hillary supporter, how would the sports coverage be different? (How would this thread be different?)
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