Patrick Reed had some strong words for his American teammates following their loss at the Ryder Cup, accusing them of letting ego rule decision making.
Reed, the reigning Masters champion, told the New York Times that he expected to be paired with Jordan Spieth and spoke to captain Jim Furyk about it. The pair have a successful history playing together at the Ryder Cup, yet Spieth was partnered with Justin Thomas, while Reed was placed alongside Tiger Woods.
It was a move that blindsided Reed, he said.
“The issue’s obviously with Jordan not wanting to play with me,” Reed told the Times on Sunday. “I don’t have any issue with Jordan. When it comes right down to it, I don’t care if I like the person I’m paired with or if the person likes me as long as it works and it sets up the team for success. He and I know how to make each other better. We know how to get the job done.”
The Americans ended up losing by seven points to Europe at the event in France and were asked at the concluding press conference about the split. Spieth said it was a group decision, while Furyk added: “Jordan and Patrick have been great in the past. Whether that’s a point of contention or not I felt we had two great pairings out of it. So it was totally my decision and my call.”
Reed told the Times that made him livid.
“I was looking at (Jordan) like I was about to light the room up like Phil in ’14,” he said, before offering another shot at his countrymen. “Every day, I saw ‘Leave your egos at the door. They (the Europeans) do that better than us.”
Reed was also unhappy that Furyk sat him out for two sessions.
“For somebody as successful in the Ryder Cup as I am, I don’t think it’s smart to sit me twice,” said the 28-year-old Reed, who was part of the 2014 and ’16 Ryder Cup-winning squads.
Spieth and Thomas went 3-1 at the 2018 event, while Reed went 0-2 with Woods before winning a singles match on Sunday.
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