Controversy May Follow Him, But Patrick Reed Off to Solid Start at Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — On a steamy, sticky afternoon at the Masters, Patrick Reed’s name was squarely on the leaderboard, and his ball was smack on the pine straw.
On the 18th hole, Reed was 2 under par when he pushed his drive deep into the right-side pines, where his ball settled on a patch of needles and hard against a sturdy tree root. Jail.
There was a tinge of tension out there, not just from the stakes or the escape shot Reed needed to execute, but from what might happen when Reed’s golf ball settled onto uncertain terrain. Reed has had numerous controversial brushes with the rule book, like at the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open, when he snatched his ball out of the rough while waiting for an official to arrive and determine whether his ball was embedded. Or earlier this year in Dubai, when he drove his ball into a towering palm tree and said he could identify it with binoculars, but TV replays appeared to show that the ball landed in a different tree.
Anyway, within the 18th-hole pines at Augusta, Reed didn’t summon a rules official, but as he contemplated his next move, a 2-year-old fan several yards away from the scene let out a yelp that startled his frazzled parents and got Reed’s attention. “That’s how I feel,” Reed quipped, and patrons within earshot chuckled. Reed played his punchout onto 10, wedged it over the green and got up and down for a closing bogey.
His 71 left him six shots behind early leaders Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. Reed hit 12 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens. Of course with Reed, who won a green jacket in 2018 and joined LIV Golf last summer, the story is always more than the score. He said he’s keeping his eyes on the course and not news headlines.
“Once tournament week starts, especially majors, I don't look at anything, read anything,” he said. “When tournament starts, I have blinders on, focus on what's going on that week, and try to go out and play the best golf I can to win a golf tournament on Sunday.”
Reed is one of 17 LIV Golfers left in the field (Kevin Na withdrew), and of that roster he is quite possibly the least affected by LIV or other controversies, which is reflected by both his play and his words. He said he always tees up with a chip on his shoulder, but that his new tour’s clashes with his old tour gave him no extra motivation entering this event.
“For me, it doesn't matter who I'm playing, where I'm playing, what I'm playing,” he said. “It's about going out and playing the best I can, and hopefully on Sunday being one shot better than anyone else.”
On Thursday Reed wore the black hat he seems most comfortable with, this one splashed with the “Aces” branding of his LIV Golf team. You might say he’ll wear a black hat all week. He’ll be back at it tomorrow.