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The roars of Augusta National are famous on Sunday Masters. The sounds shake the body, overwhelming and distinct. This year's tournament was no different. Rory McIlroy had a real thunderbolt when he hit his second shot at five feet a second by 5. Jordan Spieth, nine holes under 16 holes, would have recorded something on the Richter scale if his birdie at 17th had dropped. Cheers was lifted when Rickie Fowler converted a tough seven-foot game to the 18th to get one back.
But the most memorable sounds of this Sunday were those that had not been heard. Patrick Reed, who played college football in Augusta, was surgical and effective in protecting his lead, a performance the moment demanded. Not that you can say from the gallery. Augusta National's clients are always respectful, in keeping with Bobby Jones' long-standing tenure, and have greeted Reed with polite applause. Jones has never requisitioned praise, however. It's an evoked feeling, not given. When Reed tapped in his putt to seal his victory, the answer was strangely toned down. Jon Rahm, who played in the upcoming group, asked a group of writers if Reed had really won.
"There was not a lot of noise, so I did not know," said Rahm, pointing to the direction of the 18th.
It was not too complicated. Reed was a man with a complex past and persona considered arrogant and brazen. These are common attributes in other sports, but against the golfer's philosophy, they have made Reed an outsider. Reed, for his part, swept away these notions.
"Honestly, I do not really care what people say on Twitter or what they say they're encouraging or not cheering for me," he said. Reed at Augusta. "I'm here to do my job and play golf. I feel like I'm doing it right, so that's all that really matters. "
Hopefully Reed always keeps this state of mind. Because the last six months have been evidence to the contrary.
• • •
Shortly after the Americans' disappointing defeat on Sunday at the Ryder Cup, Reed gave a telephone interview to the Karen Crouse of the New York Times. In this conversation, Reed broke a cardinal rule in sports: Do not throw your teammates under the bus.
About the controversial split of Jordan Spieth, one of the most titled duos in the history of the United States Ryder Cup, at last week's National Golf event, Reed told Crouse: "The problem is obviously that Jordan does not want to play with me." Spieth's diplomatic answer to the same question at a post-equal press conference, Reed replied, "I was watching [Jordan] as if I was about to light the room like Phil in 2014. "Reed added," Everyday I saw "Leave your ego at the door." [the Europeans] do it better than us.
Spieth was not the only target. Captain Jim Furyk scored two of the five Reed sessions, which displeased the player who earned the Captain America label in his previous Ryder Cup performances. "For someone as good as I am in the Ryder Cup, I do not think it's smart to sit down twice," Reed said. As a reminder, Reed shot about 85 balls on Saturday with four balls with Tiger Woods.
The quote was overwhelming, inflammatory and absorbed. But also the one that could be written off as a hot spot of the moment. The reed is an emotional and competitive character, and the athletes regularly overflow after the losses, but do so in the days that follow. Unfortunately for Reed, it was not an isolated incident.
Last month at the Dell Technologies Championship, there was a bad press with the PGA Tour, Reed aeration his grievances regarding free tickets for a match at Fenway Park. Earlier in the summer, Reed entered a verbal spitting with a crew from the European tour, an altercation was recorded. A discussion with an Arnold Palmer Invitational Rules Officer, in which Reed, dissatisfied with the decision, was also captured in March said that Spieth would have made a better decision.
The reserves observed at Augusta came from a place of distrust and doubt. Conservatism too. Golf is a game of humility, where pride and sass are perceived as sins. The above problems, especially the interview with the NYT, are different. Individually, they deserve skepticism. Overall, they do not paint a pretty picture. Reed had already been discussed in hostile tones, but he never helped to perpetuate the discussion so blatantly.
In short, golf has the qualities of a real bad guy. Something that he has not had since forever.
• • •
There were other antagonists, at least supposed. Rory Sabbatini, Ian Poulter, Sergio García, Robert Allenby, Vijay Singh, Bubba Watson from recent memory. Colin Montgomerie too. Fuzzy Zoeller said something that would stain his name forever.
But, while all had their faults, they were not bad guys, not in the true sense of the word. Garcia and Poulter had clashes with fans and unfortunate comments, but most of the time they were provoked. They were hated for the greatest honor of an athlete: because they were terrorizing their opponents, especially in relations between America and the Ryder Cup. Both have been accused of being out of the way, but in reality, there is probably a bit of xenophobia at work. Put Monty in this bucket too.
Bubba? It's a different cat. Sometimes this raises the head in an unflattering way. He has also donated millions of dollars to various organizations and tour leaders say he's always making himself available for charity activities. It does not guarantee inclusion in this arena.
Vijay? There were rumors of rules problems dating back to his time on the Sunshine Tour and his fight with the PGA Tour for a banned substance earned him detractors. His behavior would not be described as warm. Singh also did not evoke a visceral reaction from the fans. He was not loved, but far from being hated.
Sabbatini? Like Reed, the South African was brazen and verbal fights with Sean O 'Hair and Ben Crane were highlights. Despite some good games in the mid-2000s, he was not strong enough to gather a lot of energy. Hard to worry about a guy with a top 10 in a major.
And that – a worthy opponent – is the biggest ingredient of the bad guy. They must stray from the norm, be divisive, irritating, arouse emotions so strong that their opponent is an immediate interest. But above all, we must be threatened and formidable. With this base, the rest of these characteristics must converge. Apart from the Ryder Cup, the players above were lacking in a lasting way.
Like golf, from somewhere else. The only real indisputable villain in this sport was … Jack Nicklaus. The gold bear had the audacity to challenge the king of the people, Arnold Palmer, and it took years for the crowd to warm up to the chubby kid of Ohio. He was booed, heavily. Fans held placards that said "HIT IT HERE, JACK" next to the bunkers. His success was met with yawning. Still, Nicklaus, while arrogant, was not offensive. His biggest blow was that he opposed Arnie's march. Bad timing, that's all.
There were other historic men in black – Tommy Bolt, Tom Weiskopf, Scott Hoch – but none with real permanence. Even the rumors about Ben Hogan's coldness only appeared later in his life. The guy was launched in New York, after all.
Which brings us back to Reed. He seems to embody all the qualities associated with a nemesis. He has now named Jordan Spieth, one of the sport's most popular players, several times this year. (It is interesting to note here, regarding Spieth's ego, that Jordan is the only American player to have attended Bryson DeChambeau in the last singles match after the Ryder Cup decision.) That both have History of a successful partnership of a comic book.
Reed is also celebrating its "Top 5 Players" award, winning the most prestigious golf tournament, but also second in the 2017 PGA Championship and almost winning this year's US Open. He is only 28 years old and his advanced statistics suggest further improvements in the years to come. Those who hope that Reed will keep quiet and go away will not fulfill their wish for a long time.
You could argue, does golf need a villain? Well, the contempt of the New England Patriots and the New York Yankees has created richer and more complete stories in their sport. The same goes for athletes such as boxer Floyd Mayweather and tennis player Lleyton Hewitt in individual matches. Alfred Hitchcock said, "The more successful the villain is, the more successful the photo is."
In addition, for those who do not enjoy the landscape of the current landscape and who regret that golfers are too friendly in competition, Reed is the perfect jewel. Golf has long sought a rivalry. If it is set in animosity and malice, so much the better.
Especially on the side of the perceived protagonists. To become a true hero, a villain must be defeated. This year has, for many, anchored Reed in one of these roles. Imagine next spring at Augusta if Reed and Spieth, or Thomas or McIlroy or Fowler or others, block horns in Amen Corner. No matter the sounds produced, it would be a scene.
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