Big stakes: Spieth-Reed loser will be Texas toast
AUSTIN, TEXAS» Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed play some of their most spirited golf against one another in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, remarkable only because they’re on the same team.
Now they’re opponents. And the stakes in the Dell Technologies Match Play are personal.
The loser goes home.
The most intriguing match that came out of the draw at the start of the week was packed with significance Thursday when Spieth and Reed won matches for the second consecutive day to set up a showdown on the skirts of Hill Country in Texas.
They meet Friday, one of four matches between players who have yet to lose this week at Austin Country Club.
Reed fired the first shot when asked what made Spieth, a 24-year-old Texan, a good opponent in match play.
“I don’t know. My back still hurts from the last Ryder Cup,” he said with a laugh, alluding to the way he carried Spieth in their partnership at Hazeltine to a 2-1-1 record in team play during a rare American victory.
Reed and Spieth are 8-1-3 as partners in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. They are 1-1 in PGA Tour playoffs.
They don’t have much of a relationship except in team competitions, and even then it’s unusual.
“Because we’re so competitive with each other within our own pairing at the Ryder Cup, we want to outdo each other. That’s what makes us successful,” Spieth said.
The other three matches involving players with a 2-0 record: Sergio Garcia vs. Xander Schauffele, Alex Noren vs. Tony Finau and Justin Thomas vs. Francesco Molinari.
Dustin Johnson, the defending champion, was among 20 players already mathematically eliminated.
Still alive, but still needing some help, were Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson.
Romo shoots 77 in his PGA Tour debut.
PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC» Tony Romo fell apart on the back nine and made his PGA Tour debut with a 5-over-par 77 in the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was 14 shots behind leader Brice Garnett, who shot a 9-under 63.