I still remember watching - glued to the screen like a mosquito embedded there with a well-aimed flick of a flyswatter. Singles matches of the 2016 Ryder Cup and the first match of the day - Rory against the guy who had become a real thorn in the European side - Patrick Reed. Ebullient, short-sleeved, in-your-face. Seemed to love match play. Played their top dog and took him all the way to 18, and I think ended up getting a full point. He would add a green jacket in 2018 playing some fabulous golf all week. A former player at Augusta State, you would have thought he would be treated like royalty as he made his victory walk up 18.... but, .....curiously, not. Turns out Mr. Reed didn't make too many friends around town during his short college career in the home town of Bobby Jones, a man that religiously played the game by the rules. Turns out his reputation (even at the height of his professional career) had already been determined.
Allegations of cheating have dogged Patrick since his college years. His reaction in every case is to deny that he's done anything wrong (at least on the golf course).
And then came the 2019 Hero Challenge, the week before the President's Cup in Australia. If you haven't seen the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM7UJrsUr5g), it's a perfect example about what not to do in a bunker. If you watched (not even too closely), you'll note he grounds his club, flattening the sand behind the ball, and also takes a practice swing that removed sand from behind the ball. Unfortunately, the tour only assessed a two-stroke penalty, and (of course), Mr. Reed professed innocence. Cheat, deny, move on.
It was safe to say that Patrick would become the brunt of the Australians' invective against the prohibitive favorite American team down under. After losing 4 points in team play, he found his game on Sunday and helped the Americans come from behind. It may be the last time he plays for the American side, unless he's a automatic qualifier.
I'm sure you've met Mr. Reed on the golf course. Maybe he has a different name, but (unfortunately), a lot of people cheat, deny, and get away with it. Sometimes you have to put your foot down and call them out, point out their error regarding a rule of the game, assess them a penalty (even though they should assess it themselves), and let the committee know of the infraction if you're in a competitive event. Our game doesn't need more Patrick Reeds.
Speaking of rules, the annual REGL Captain's Meeting is only 2 weeks away. I have not fielded any ideas for rule changes, so I believe it might be a short meeting. I thought last year was going to be a bit of a nightmare between all of the new USGA rules AND the adoption of more local rules, but as I wrote about in mid-season, it was much ado about nothing for the most part. That doesn't mean there won't be something to talk about. Stay tuned....