It is hard to understate just how desperate Team USA were to win the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine after Europe had won the three previous events – including one on American soil in 2012.
There was something different about the 2016 Ryder Cup. The hugely disappointing performance two years earlier led to sweeping changes, with a task force being put together to try and end their slump. Perhaps the most surprising name on the task force, from the outside, seemed to be Tiger Woods.
The Ryder Cup has never brought the best out of Woods. And it appeared that being on a team did not play to Woods’ strengths. The 15-time major champion’s one-track mind stood him in good stead in almost every single tournament he played – except the Ryder Cup.
Nevertheless, Woods silenced a lot of his critics with his involvement in the task force. And it would have surprised many when Davis Love III named him as a vice-captain for the 2016 Ryder Cup.
Obviously, only the players in the locker room will know just how influential Woods was in that role that week. But it does seem that he appeared at the perfect time for Patrick Reed ahead of his singles match with Rory McIlroy.
What Tiger Woods told Patrick Reed before his classic match with Rory McIlroy at the 2016 Ryder Cup
Reed was the man tasked with leading USA out on Sunday. Love III’s men boasted a 9.5-6.5 lead after the first two days. At any other time, that lead would have been particularly commanding. However, this was the first Ryder Cup played on American soil since Medinah, when Europe fought back from 10-6 behind.
Darren Clarke’s men had also won the previous three sessions by a score of 6.5-5.5 in Minnesota. Had McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Thomas Pieters, Justin Rose and Rafa Cabrera-Bello got off to a similar start to how Europe kicked off Sunday in Medinah, the comeback was definitely still on.
Unsurprisingly, Reed was feeling the nerves on the range before his match. But as he told John Feinstein – in an excerpt reported by Golf Digest in 2023 – Woods stepped in ahead of what would prove to be one of the greatest duels the competition has ever seen.
“I was tight on the range,” he said.
“Really tight. I didn’t like the way I was hitting the ball, and I knew it was nerves. I was telling myself to calm down and just get ready to play, but it wasn’t working.”
Seemingly spotting this, Woods called Reed over to him.
“I thought sure he was going to give me a pep talk, say something about my swing or about just relaxing and not trying too hard,” he added. “I walked over there. He had his arms folded. I waited. He looked really serious.
“And then he told me a dirty joke.
“It was actually the perfect thing to do. It just broke the tension. I went back to hitting balls, and all of a sudden I was loose as could be. I was ready.”
What happened in the match between Reed and McIlroy at Hazeltine
When it comes to quality, the match of the day – and perhaps of all-time – came from Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, with the pair making 19 birdies between them. But the drama of the front nine between McIlroy and Reed was unlike anything many had seen before.
McIlroy was 1 up after four holes. So it is frightening to think that he then made four birdies in his next four, and yet, found himself all square with Reed after eight.
Reed would take the lead for the first time in the game on the 12th hole. And he would move to 2 up on the 16th to ensure that USA would secure at least half a point from that match. In the end, a birdie on the last would give Reed the 1 up win.
USA would go on and dominate the session, with Ryan Moore being the man to secure the point which got them across the line on their way to a 17-11 victory.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
