Sunday’s best bet? It’s Reed
U.S. Ryder Cup star has the game, guts to win major title
Saturday of low winds and lower scores. At 8 under, Reed is four shots behind Brian Harman, three south of Tommy Fleetwood, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas, who merely got up-and-down from 299 yards on No. 18. And Reed is two shy of Rickie Fowler.
Si Woo Kim, who won the Players Championship in May, is 9 under, in sixth place.
That’s some serious timber for Reed to chop down, but I think he can do it. And not just because I committed to writing about him while he was in a six-way tie for first.
A five-time winner on tour, Reed has plenty of length to go with what Karain described Saturday as “an unreal short game. … I felt like everything with a lob wedge in his hand was gonna go in.”
Reed made putts from everywhere but a fairly easy spot on the 18th green, just 5 feet from the pin for birdie. That one lipped out for 64 after both he and Karain misread it as leftcenter instead of rightcenter. Reed’s knees gave out when it didn’t fall.
“I know he wanted it really bad,” said Karain, the younger brother of Patrick’s wife, Justine.
Reed’s family makes up his inner circle. Justine caddied for him until she became pregnant in 2014. She no longer helps choose his clubs, but she does select his wardrobe.
“I just say, ‘OK, sounds good, Hun,’ ” Reed said. “Happy wife, happy life.”
Reed could stand to be a little happier, actually.
He led Augusta State to back-to-back NCAA Division I national championships and everyone figures that Augusta National perfectly suits his game. His Masters finishes: Cut, T22, T49, Cut.
His U.S. Open results are less crummy but still: T35, T14, Cut.
Asked how Ryder Cup pressure compares to U.S. Open pressure, Reed replied with a grin: “I really haven’t had much U.S. Open pressure considering I teed off at 10:49 (a.m.) and the leaders might be through four (holes).”
Reed has three top-15 finishes in majors but said his issue has been wanting to win too much.
“Every time I got to the majors my first two years, I worked too hard Monday through Wednesday,” he said. “So by Saturday I was tired. And also I was living and dying by every golf shot, every putt and everything.
“Coming into this year I was just like: It’s another golf tournament. Show up. Do what you do on a normal event and just play golf.
“That’s the mindset I will take into (Sunday).”