"If you get up in your match, the crowd will be pretty quiet. I was able to do that and silence a couple"
Sunday 15 December 2019 10:39, UK
Patrick Reed was pleased to end the week on a high note after playing his part in the United States' 16-14 victory over the International Team in the Presidents Cup.
Reed had endured a tough first three days at Royal Melbourne where he was targeted by hecklers and lost his opening three matches alongside Webb Simpson.
The 29-year-old was in the spotlight after arriving in Australia following his controversial penalty in the Bahamas last week where he was docked two strokes for improving his lie in a waste bunker.
Reed, one of Tiger Woods' captain's picks, was adamant his error was inadvertent, but that did little to appease the critics and he was jeered from the first tee on Thursday, with spectators also waving toy shovels at him.
His caddie, brother-in-law Kessler Karain, finally snapped after his third defeat in Saturday morning's fourballs and clashed with a spectator as he and Reed drove a golf cart back to the clubhouse.
Karain was barred from carrying Reed's bag in the singles as a result and swing coach Kevin Kirk took over as the Texan thrashed CT Pan 4&2 in the third match of the day.
Reed quietened the hecklers in the best way possible with six birdies in his first seven holes as he went six up and, after Pan had reduced the deficit by winning four holes out of six from the eighth, he wrapped up the victory with further birdies at the 15th and 16th.
"You make birdies, you don't hear much," said Reed, who was celebrating his third Presidents Cup triumph after wins in 2015 and 2017.
"When you're not up [in] your matches, the other team, the crowd will get more vocal. If you get up in your match, the crowd will be pretty quiet. I was able to do that and silence a couple.
"I think the biggest thing is just to continue grinding and not let the crowds or let people get in the way of what you're trying to do, and that's play golf.
"You know, the past couple days were tough, and you know, today still wasn't easy.
"The biggest thing was to come out today and continue playing some solid golf, get a crucial point early in the day to help the team."
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