Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Reed’s bizarre route to the Green Jacket WHY THE FANS AT AUGUSTA BACKED RORY AND NOT THE HOMETOWN WINNER PAT
PATRICK REED claimed he was fired up by local support for Rory Mcilroy after the pantomime villain claimed the Masters title in his own dogged style.
The unpopular American, 27, went to college in Augusta and his parents still live in the town.
But his long history of brash, boastful and downright bad behaviour meant there was no cheer squad to holler him home – and his parents and younger sister were not even there to witness his greatest triumph. They have not spoken for seven years.
After his first Major victory, the Texan admitted even the American crowd had been rooting for the Ulsterman playing with him in the final group on Sunday.
“When Rory walked up to the tee, his cheer was a little louder,” said the new world No.12.
“But that’s another thing that just kind of played into my hands. Not only did it fuel my fire, it took the pressure off me and put it on him.”
The upstanding Augusta patrons would almost certainly have preferred wins for the clean-cut Jordan Spieth or Rickie Fowler.
And Reed’s caddie and brother-inlaw Kessler Karain acknowledged the lukewarm reception when Reed holed the winning putt.
“It definitely felt that way but that’s OK because sometimes that can be motivating too,” he said.
Reed’s chequered history has seen him kicked off the University of Georgia golf team – for alcholol issues, he said – and there were claims of cheating and stealing when he moved to Augusta State University.
He has not spoken to his parents Bill and Jeannette or sister Hannah since 2011 – and his wife Justine had them removed from the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst, North Carolina.
When he became the youngest winner of a WGC event at the Wgc-cadillac Championship in March 2014 to move to world No.20, he said his victory proved he was a “top-five player”.
And at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China later that year, on-course microphones picked him up saying to himself: “Nice f ***** g three-putt, you f ***** g f **** t.” There is not a lot to love.
But he did receive congratulatory tweets from Donald Trump and Tiger Woods after his Augusta triumph.
Asked if his victory was bittersweet because he could not share it with his parents, Reed responded: “I’m just out here to play golf and try to win golf tournaments.”
His performance coach Josh Gregory said: “Unfortunately, people see the brashness and the bravado and the past incidents and think that he’s a bad dude. And that’s just not the case. He’s just in his own world and very business-like.
“He’s not the villain that everyone makes him out to be. He is not a bad guy. He is trying to become the best player in the world.”
His swing coach Kevin Kirk said: “Patrick is a bulldog – he’s used to being the underdog. It doesn’t bother him if people like him or dislike him. He thinks, ‘I’m going to win this tournament whether you like it or not’.”
For the first time since 2004, Americans hold all four Majors and Reed will be the talisman of September’s Ryder Cup team in Paris.
“To be known as Captain America means every time I’m in red, white and blue I’m there to fight, to try to pull home a victory,” he warned.