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Kinder commentators may describe golfer Patrick Reed as a divisive character.
Less forgiving critics, however, would simply say he's the most hated man in golf.
The American topped The Masters leaderboard heading into the final day in Augusta, Georgia and despite challenges from Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler held his nerve to take victory.
After a spectacular third round five-under-par 67, he closed out a one-under par 71 on the final day to retain top spot and take the green jacket.
(Image: Getty Images North America)
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Away from the course, he's married to Justine, his former caddy, with whom he has a daughter, Windsor-Wells.
But what exactly has he done to garner a reputation as the villain of the gentleman's game?
Here's a run-through of the 27-year-old Texan's most controversial moments...
College troubles, allegations of cheating and stealing
(Image: Getty Images North America)
According to reports, Reed was ousted from the University of Georgia (UGA) under a cloud after he was arrested for underage drinking and caught in possession of a fake ID.
He admits he left after a couple of drinking-related incidents.
But he also vehemently denies rumours that he cheated on the golf course by claiming another player's ball when it was in a better position.
And he's rubbished talk that he stole $400 and a Scotty Cameron putter from teammates.
Reed transferred to Augusta State, where problems continued.
Within weeks, he was suspended by his coach for unspecified "violations of team rules".
He was also so unpopular with his teammates that they wanted him out.
There were also more cheating rumours, with Reed twice suspected of declaring lower scores than he'd actually shot, according to golf writer Stephanie Wei.
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Sweet revenge?
(Image: Twitter/@PReedGolf)
Last year, Reed suggested he hasn't forgotten the way he was treated at UGA.
He attended a college football game between Notre Dame and UGA - in full Notre Dame gear.
Reed, at the game with his wife, was openly rooting for the home team.
Swears and homophobic slurs
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In 2014, Reed had to apologise for using homophobic language in a sweary rant at himself on the opening day of the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.
After shooting a bogey on the first hole, TV microphones picked up his subsequent cursing.
He was clearly heard saying: "Nice f****** three-putt, you f****** f****t."
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Charming the fans
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At the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, Reed went full pantomime villain, lifting his fingers to his lips and shushing the European crowd after sinking a putt on the seventh hole.
Some reports claimed he needed a police escort when leaving the club as spectators' anger towards him threatened to boil over.
This week, he spoke about his relationship with fans, saying: "Honestly I don't really care what people say on Twitter or what they say if they are cheering for me or not cheering for me.
"I'm out here to do my job, and that's to play golf."
Reed vs McIlroy
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Two years on from 'shushgate', Reed was involved in yet more Ryder Cup controversy as he and Rory McIlroy were involved in a dramatic battle.
The pair were on top form, going hole-for-hole at Hazeltine and winding one another up with over-exuberant celebrations and cheers.
(Image: Getty)
Celebrating one putt, McIlroy stoked the flames by mocking Reed's shushing.Reed responded by cranking up his own shouts.
While the exchanges appeared to be good-natured - the pair were later seen fist-bumping - they did nothing to help Reed's image as a brash character.
However...
(Image: REUTERS)
Reed deserves credit for his bravery and patriotism.
When his compatriots Dustin Johnson and Jordan Speith declined to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics, citing the threat of the Zika virus, Reed couldn't wait to compete in Brazil.
He said: "Any time I can wear stars and stripes, I do it."
Say what you like about Reed, he isn't boring, that's for sure.
After the third round, Patrick Reed was in the interview room at Augusta National, talking journalists through his day. He had just scored 67, which made him the first person in eight years to shoot in the 60s for all the first three rounds of the Masters. He was asked about pressure, his iron play, the Ryder Cup. Then came this: “Patrick, it doesn’t take much to do a quick Twitter search to find a lot of people rooting against you. Why do you think that is? Why are there fans that don’t embrace you?” The question hung there in the air, while the temperature dropped a notch.
Patrick Reed wins Masters after holding off strong challenge from Rickie Fowler Read more
Reed managed a wry smile before he replied: “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask them? I mean, I have no idea, and honestly I don’t really care what people say on Twitter or what they say if they are cheering for me or not cheering for me. I’m out here to do my job, and that’s to play golf.” The Masters isn’t a popularity contest, after all. Which is a good thing for him. There weren’t many cheering for him on Sunday. Certainly not so many as were pulling for Rory McIlroy or Jordan Spieth or Rickie Fowler. Reed studied at Augusta State, and his parents live in city, but he is hardly a home favourite.
Until now, Reed has been best known for the way he plays in the Ryder Cup, where he goes by the nickname Captain America. Spieth, who played with Reed on the last two teams, and pushed him so hard here on Sunday, says that for Reed the Ryder Cup isn’t about winning so much as “about sticking the knife in”. Back when Reed played the singles at Gleneagles, he made a birdie putt on the 7th then put a finger to his lips to shush the crowd. He enjoyed the moment so much that he had the image of it put in silhouette on his belt buckle.
That was just pantomime stuff compared to the rest of his rap sheet. In 2014, Reed was caught on mic saying, “Nice fucking three-putt, you fucking faggot”, to himself after he missed a putt at a WGC event in Shanghai. Reed apologised for it, and seemed genuinely sorry. But he never regretted the other set of headline-making comments he made that year, when he described himself as “one of the top five players in the world”. He was 23 at the time, and hadn’t even played in a major.
The following year, ESPN asked 103 tour golfers which of their fellow pros they’d be least likely help out in a fight. Reed came second. Spieth tells another story from the Ryder Cup. Reed was trash-talking to a vice-captain, Tiger Woods. “Don’t worry, Patrick, you only need 74 more wins and 14 more majors,” Woods told him. “You don’t really hear Tiger talk about everything he’s dropped,” said Spieth, “but he used it there, because he was just like: ‘Screw this guy. I’m using this right now. Who is this guy?’”
Still Reed’s hardly the only brash young golfer on tour, and after four years his fellow pros have got used his style. It’s when you get a little deeper into the weeds that everything becomes more complicated. There have always been rumours about Reed’s time at the University of Georgia, before he transferred to Augusta State. Reed’s always said that he left UGA because of two drinking offences. But in his book Slaying The Tiger, author Shane Ryan wrote that Reed had also been accused of cheating by his team-mates at UGA.
Augusta’s desire to keep its distance may spark a lengthy dispute | Ewan Murray Read more
Ryan alleged that Reed’s team-mates had caught him trying to play a ball that wasn’t his during a qualifying tournament, after he’d hit his own into the rough. Ryan also alleged that Reed’s team-mates suspected him of stealing from the locker room. Reed denied both accusations, and produced a sworn statement from his old UGA head coach Chris Haack, who said he was “not aware of any allegation of cheating or theft” against Reed while he was at UGA. But then Haack’s assistant, Jason Payne, had another version. “The story that has been reported by Shane Ryan is an accurate account of his college career at UGA‚” said Payne, “including the suspicions held by his former team-mates.”
On top of that, there’s the messy relationship between Reed and his family which couldn’t help but bubble up this week given his parents live in Augusta but weren’t at the course.
No one really knows what goes on inside another family, but the Reeds’ situation has spilled out into the open. His wife reportedly had her in-laws escorted off the course when they turned up to support him at the US Open in 2014. And back in 2016, Reed’s sister described him as a “selfish, horrible stranger” in a Facebook post defending her parents.
“If you don’t believe in yourself,” Reed once said, “no one else is going to.” Which is true. But if you do, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they will too. Even if you are the Masters champion.
Patrick Reed said it was “almost impossible” to put his emotions into words after winning his first major championship at Augusta National.
Reed, 27, finished the tournament on 15 shots under par and held off late challenges from compatriots Jordan Spieth, who fired a remarkable round of 64, and Rickie Fowler, who increased the late pressure by making a sensational birdie on the final hole.
“I knew it was going to be tough,” said Reed, who attended the nearby Augusta State University after leaving the University of Georgia under a cloud of controversy, including allegations of cheating that he has denied.
“Any time you are trying to close off a golf tournament is really hard, but to close off your first major, and at a place that is so close your heart, is even harder.
“I knew the lead would shrink at times and the lead could grow at others. Those are just the flows of golf and you need to know how to handle it. The only way I felt I could get that done was to make sure the putter was working.”
Reed’s victory, his sixth professional win and his first since 2016, came after Rory McIlroy produced an error-strewn round of 74 which forced him out of contention on the final day.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Patrick Reed claimed a Masters title and green jacket on Sunday, so he's no longer known as simply a Ryder Cup stalwart.
Reed, 27, came a long way to get to the final Masters pairing on Sunday. And the explanation is a complicated one. He's an uber-talented player but with a checkered history, one that's filled with controversies that date to his college years.
On Saturday night, Reed was asked why some people — mostly on social media — tend to root against him.
"I don't know. Why don't you ask them?" he said. "I mean, I have no idea, and honestly I don't really care what people say on Twitter or what they say if they are cheering for me or not cheering for me. I'm out here to do my job, and that's to play golf. I feel like if I'm doing it the right way, then that's all that really matters."
Here's a brief history of Reed, the accolades he's accomplished on the course and a few of the hiccups (alleged or otherwise) he's had off it.
College days
Reed played one year of college golf at the University of Georgia before being dismissed from the team. In Shane Ryan's book, Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour, Ryan brings to light accusations of Reed cheating and stealing from teammates. Reed denied the accusations in a Golf Channel interview, saying he was dismissed for alcohol violations.
Blogger Stephanie Wei obtained a statement from Jason Payne, the assistant golf coach at Georgia during Reed's year there.
"While getting to know Patrick through the recruiting process as a coach, a few character issues came to light, that we as coaches thought we could help Patrick with," he said. "Once Patrick was on campus for a few months, it became clear that Patrick was not going to mesh with the make up of the team at that time, and he was dismissed from the team. There is no doubting the ability of Patrick as a golfer, it was Patrick as a person that we chose not to associate with. The story that has been reported by Shane Ryan is an accurate account of his college career at UGA—including the suspicions held by his former teammates."
Reed transferred to his hometown Augusta State, but the smoke never fully cleared. Wie reported other instances of suspected cheating and a rift with teammates.
Reed led Augusta State to NCAA Division I titles in 2010 and 2011.
Patrick Reed shot a five-under 67 on Saturday at Augusta National.
A top-five player in the world?
He won the Wyndham Championship in August 2013 and twice more in 2014 — the Humana Challenge in January and the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March, in which he clipped Jamie Donaldson and Bubba Watson by a stroke. Reed, at 23, became the youngest player to win a WGC event, but what was more surprising is what he announced to the world that day. NBC ran a previously recorded interview with Reed during the telecast, in which Reed said he was a top-five player in the world. (He was 44th in the World Ranking at the time, and his win bumped him to 20th.) When asked about his comments after the victory, he doubled down.
"I've worked so hard, I've won a lot in my junior career, did great things in my amateur career, was 6-0 in match play in NCAAs, won NCAAs two years in a row, got third individually one year and now I have three wins out here on the PGA Tour," he said. "I just don't see a lot of guys that have done that, besides Tiger Woods, of course, and, you know, the other legends of the game. It's just one of those things, I believe in myself and — especially with how hard I've worked — I'm one of the top-five players in the world. To come out in a field like this and to hold on wire to wire like that, I feel like I've proven myself."
That was one of the first times the world saw Reed's confidence and candor up close. It wouldn't be the last.
RELATED: Patrick and Justine Reed photos
Mic'd up
Reed made headlines for the wrong reasons in November 2014, when he was caught on camera uttering a gay slur in frustration after missing a putt at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. He later apologized via Twitter.
More recently, at Bay Hill last month, Reed was looking for free relief after a shot into the bushes, but an official wouldn't grant one. "I guess my name needs to be Jordan Spieth, guys," he said to the gallery, which was picked up by a fan who was filming. While this seemed all in good fun, as Reed took a shot at his longtime Ryder Cup partner, it did radiate a touch of frustration. One might assume he wasn't completely joking while in the heat of the moment.
The making of a Ryder Cup star
Patrick Reed's Masters victory was his sixth career PGA Tour win, but until today he was mostly known for his Ryder Cup acumen.
He went 3-0-1 in his Ryder Cup debut at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014, and two years later he was 3-1-1 at Hazeltine in Minnesota.
In 2014 he put one finger to his mouth and shushed the crowd — an action that has since taken on a life of its own — and in 2016 he went head to head with Rory McIlroy in Sunday singles in one of the most epic Ryder Cup matches. They went blow for blow, trading big putts, birdies, fist pumps and primal screams. Reed won 1 up.
Reed's Ryder Cup record and fierce attitude on the course is the reason he's dubbed "Captain America."
Sunday red
Reed has long worn Sunday red to honor Tiger Woods (although he didn't on Masters Sunday).
"The best player ever to live when I was growing up wore black pants, a red shirt," said Reed in 2014. "I was growing up watching him. I always thought, 'You know, it would be cool to wear black and red coming down on Sunday.' Just happens to be that we both wear it on Sunday now."
Family life
Reed has been estranged from his parents and younger sister for years now. Alan Shipnuck explains the nitty gritty of it here. It also covers an incident at the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, when police escorted Reed's parents, Bill and Jeannette, off the grounds and the USGA confiscated their badges. Jeannette said Reed was acting on the wishes of Justine.
His parents still live in Augusta.
