Patrick Reed is wearing out his welcome on future US teams

Patrick Reed is a disturbing force in the game of golf.

For most of Patrick Reed’s career, his incredible talent barely over-shadowed a litany of pasts rules curfuffles, rumors from college teammates, broken family relationships, and general bad vibes that have surrounded the Ryder Cup stalwart and former Masters winner.

In the past two weeks, Reed has given his critics ample evidence that his reputation isn’t just well-earned, it’s threatening to swallow up his life and career.

Patrick Reed is a jerk.

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That seemed to be the most charitable way of describing a man who takes such great pride in swimming against the current. Being a prickly iconoclast seemed to fuel him in a way similar to Ben Hogan, a man who had innumerable admirers of his skill but few friends.

Until the past two weeks, Reed’s Masters Championship and well-earned moniker of “Captain America” for his Ryder Cup exploits, were just enough to overshadow his trail of burnt bridges. But after the controversy at the Hero World Challenge and his caddie’s actions at the Presidents Cup, the billowing smoke that surrounds him has burst into an uncontrollable fire.

First, let’s look at the rules controversy at the Hero World Challenge. It should be noted that this event is known as Tiger’s tournament. He picks the small field from the world’s best players and serves as host for the week. An invitation is akin to being knighted by Sir Tiger. It’s an honor earned, and not easily given.

So what did Patrick Reed to with it? He cheated.

We all saw it. I haven’t seen or heard a single voice in his defense. Even Reed was unable to muster a remotely credible explanation. Here’s how ESPN reported his response:

"“It’s (cheating) not the right word to use,” Reed said after a practice round at Royal Melbourne, where the Presidents Cup begins on Thursday. “At the end of the day, if you do something unintentionally that breaks the rules, it’s not considered cheating, but I wasn’t intentionally trying to improve a lie or anything like that. If I was, it would have been a really good lie, and I would have hit it really close.”"

I live in Kansas. We have lots of cows here. And I’ve never seen a pile of crap as big as this response. Reed’s adverse relationship to the truth can only be categorized as pathological.

He cheated. Every golfer on planet earth saw it and knows it. There is really no controversy at all. Patrick Reed is the only person who believes Patrick Reed.

Now consider that he did this at Tiger’s personal tournament on the eve of playing for Captain Tiger at the biggest golf event in the world until the Masters this April. It’s hard to wrap your mind around that.

At the time, I felt he should have been DQ’d from the tournament and removed from the Presidents Cup team. In hindsight, I bet he wishes he had been.

Going into the Presidents Cup, we’d all have expected Reed to act like a deaf-mute on the course, ignoring expected jabs from the partisan crowd and letting his game speak for itself. After all, his defense at the Hero World Challenge amounted to, “I’m too good to have to cheat.”

But, no. Reed confirmed he’s beyond learning any lessons. As usual, he didn’t run into another controversy as much as he courted one. It began with miming digging out of a bunker when he made a crucial putt, accompanied by a Hulk Hogan “I can’t hear you” gesture at the international fans.

Did he expect this would calm their jeers? Of course not. He thrives on negativity. He is a child acting out to gain the attention he thinks he deserves. It apparently matters not that he’s attracting it in all the wrong ways. Patrick Reed was going to make sure he remained the center of attention whether it was good for him, his team, or even the game of golf.

But it couldn’t get worse, could it?

The next day, Reed’s caddie got into a physical altercation with a fan. Better yet, it came after Reed and Webb Simpson got roasted in their match, 5&3. Like most spoiled brats, Reed (and apparently his caddie) is a bad winner and a worse loser.

It should be noted that Reed’s caddie is his brother-in-law. In the past, his wife has carried for him. Neither is truly a pro caddie. It underscores that either no one wants to work for him or Reed is so cocksure that he feels he doesn’t really need any help. I suppose both things could be true, also.

So what do we do with Patrick Reed? He’s not going to change his behavior if the last two weeks are any indication. He is certainly a good enough golfer that we will be seeing him compete for titles in the near future. We won’t be able to ignore him away.

Some might argue that sports need villains. But there is a difference between wearing a black hat and simply descending into darkness. To the casual observer, it looks like Reed crossed that line in the last couple of weeks.

It’s clear Reed desperately wants to be loved and showered with praise. His game is worthy of adulation, his character decidedly not. I suspect future Captains of the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams will not make Reed a Captains pick – as Tiger did – again.

And if and when he does earn a spot on a team, it would be nice to see a Captain just sit him until the last day. There would be some poetic justice in doing so; only playing him in singles during a team-focused competition.

dark. Next. Presidents Cup 2019: Team USA proves raw talent is hard to beat

Because, ultimately, that’s the only thing Patrick Reed cares about – himself.

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