Woods seeks to defuse Reed’s ball-moving incident
US captain Tiger Woods defended Presidents Cup teammate Patrick Reed as “a great kid” on Tuesday after he was penalised for breaking the rules in the Bahamas, while at the same time attempting to draw a line under the controversy.
Former US Masters champion Reed was given a two-shot penalty for improving his lie in a waste bunker during the third round of the Hero World Challenge on Friday.
His actions were blasted by two from the International side, which is preparing to face the Woods-led US in the team match play showdown at Royal
Melbourne this week. It potentially opens the door for some barracking by Australian fans.
Cameron Smith told reporters at the weekend that he had “no sympathy for anyone that cheats”, while Marc Leishman called his behaviour “pretty ordinary”.
Woods was keen to move on from the row when pressed in Melbourne, admitting the two discussed the matter on the long plane trip to Australia from the Bahamas but also saying it is now over.
“It was not a lengthy conversation. Pat and I are very good friends. We kept it short and brief, to the point,” said Woods, who is the first playing captain at the Presidents Cup since American
Hale Irwin in 1994. “The rules official gave him two shots. He finished at 16-under, two back of Henrik Stenson, and now we’re on to this week.”
Reed acknowledged that he moved sand with both practice swings and therefore violated the rules but denied he is a cheat. “It’s not the right word to use,” he said. “At the end of the day, if you do something unintentionally that breaks the rules, it’s not considered cheating and at the end of the day that’s what it is.”
Despite the prospect of a volatile reception in Melbourne, Woods insisted Reed would be “fine” when the tournament begins on Thursday. “Pat is a great kid. He’s handled a tough upbringing well, and I just think that he’s one of our best team players and is one of the reasons why all of the guys wanted him on the team,” he said.
International team captain Ernie Els said he has no problem with Smith and Leishman being outspoken on Reed, keen to take any edge they can into the tournament. “Well, I think it’s only natural. These guys are competitors. Obviously they didn’t like what they saw,” he said.
But Els added: “Like Tiger, we’re moving on; we’ve got a Cup to play for. It’s got nothing to do with us. It’s basically what’s happened, and I think Tiger’s dealing with it and Patrick’s dealing with that. We’re getting ready to play the Presidents Cup. There’s nothing more to be said.”
The International team will need to use everything in their arsenal to unsettle Woods’s starstudded team, who are the heavy favourites to win. They have clinched all but one edition of the Presidents Cup in its 25year history. The exception was at Royal Melbourne in 1998, where a young Woods played.
He admitted the team then was not properly prepared, in contrast to now.
“I think our strength is that we are a very deep team. The guys have played well this entire year, and you know, we had 11 out of 12 guys play last week,” said Woods.
“So it was nice for them to shake off some rust. Get a feel for things.”