Among the notable groupings at the PGA Championship was the trio of Ludvig Aberg, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, with the two Americans having plenty of history.
Patrick Reed, of course, now plies his trade on LIV Golf. So it felt significant that the 2018 Masters champion was put in a group with Jordan Spieth for the opening two rounds at Quail Hollow.
Spieth and Reed formed one of the most impressive American partnerships the Ryder Cup has seen. They were unbeaten together in three matches at the 2014 event in Scotland, while they claimed 2.5 points from their four matches two years later.
Many will remember Reed’s frustration after they were not paired together in 2018. But that was not the first time that Spieth has seemingly annoyed his countryman at a team event.
Why Patrick Reed was seriously annoyed at Jordan Spieth at the 2015 Presidents Cup
Despite their success in 2014, Jay Haas resisted the temptation to put Reed and Spieth together for the first three sessions at the following year’s Presidents Cup.
Reed partnered with Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler, while Spieth played alongside Dustin Johnson.
They were back together for the final session before the singles, beating Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel 3&2.
And speaking on the No Laying Up Podcast in 2016, Spieth suggested that Reed was absolutely desperate to prove a point to no-one else but his own teammate.
“In the Presidents Cup last year, I partnered with Dustin Johnson for a couple of rounds, and Patrick was so p—-d off that we were partnering. And so finally, we’re playing in the last evening, Saturday evening I guess, in best ball, we got put back together and we ham and egged it and shot something ridiculous because he was trying to beat me so bad,” he said.
“He didn’t give a c–p who we were playing, he was so p—-d at me that week for going to DJ, he reminded me every time I saw him, even during that match and then he just went out and made six or seven birdies in the round and we closed them out in the dark.”
Reed and Spieth would steal the show once again at the 2017 Presidents Cup
Steve Stricker would have no intention of rocking the boat two years later. Reed and Spieth played all four matches together at Liberty National, claiming 3.5 points from those matches.
The US had more than one hand on the trophy heading into the singles anyway. But it was still a surprise to see both players beaten on Sunday.
Given what happened at the 2018 Ryder Cup, it was no surprise that Tiger Woods kept Reed and Spieth apart at the Presidents Cup the following year. Reed lost all three of his matches alongside Webb Simpson before scoring a crucial point in the singles.
That proved to be Captain America’s most recent appearance in either competition.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
