Jordan Spieth Had Perfect Line About Patrick Reed and Dealing with ‘Drunk’ Ryder Cup Fans

The Ryder Cup is known for attracting some of the most passionate golf fans in the game. With the head-to-head match play format and European and American fervor on full display, the noise is always an added challenge—especially for the away team. It isn’t unusual to hear chants, chirps and even the occasional insult from outside the ropes. 

Over the years, players have demonstrated varying strategies for combating the event’s natural rowdiness. On Tuesday at Marco Simone, Jordan Spieth offered an explanation of those distinct approaches. 

He used a former match-play partner as a pointed example. 

“I played a lot of matches with Patrick Reed, when he felt insulted, he turned the notch up,” Spieth said. 

Reed internalized the crowd input and converted it into motivational energy. Watching the LIV Golfer in his past Ryder Cup appearances, it’s clear that the process worked for him. 

Spieth, however, couldn’t be more different in his approach.  

“When I feel insulted, I don’t turn it up or down,” Spieth said. “I’m just like, O.K. they are drunk, move on.”

Spieth is playing in his fourth Ryder Cup this week in Rome, and he’s learned how to deal with the rowdy spectators. 

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Spieth’s sheer acceptance of the mostly inebriated Ryder Cup fans doesn’t come from a place of judgement, though. The three-time major champion can relate to the crowd in a way, and that actually helps him block out the commentary. 

“I’ve shouted plenty of things at sporting events at people that I have no reason to do,” Spieth said. “So I also try to say, pot and kettle, and recognize that it’s all just sport and move on.

“So everyone approaches it differently, and the way I get up and get going normally is not affected by that. But some guys, it is. I could be jealous of that in certain cases.”

Spieth’s strategy might be different than some of his past or current teammates, but as one of the most experienced members of the U.S. squad, he surely knows what he’s doing on foreign soil.