Patrick Reed sparked jubilant scenes during the first round of LIV Golf Adelaide after making a hole-in-one on the par-three 12th.
Reed’s ace was the second to occur at the watering hole after Chase Koepka made a hole-in-one during the 2023 edition. The celebrations immediately after the Texan’s eagle were some of the wildest ever seen on the PIF-backed venture and up there with Bryson DeChambeau’s 58 at Greenbrier.
The Aussie fans have embraced the LIV Golf product better than most, and the atmosphere created in Adelaide is unique. Reed, however, hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with the fans down under.
Patrick Reed abused by Australian fans at 2019 Presidents Cup
In the lead-up to the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, Reed was accused of cheating at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
The 2018 Masters champ was seemingly spotted trying to improve his lie on two occasions. Reed blamed the camera angle for the infringement. Nonetheless, he was still penalised two strokes.
Just weeks later, Reed teed it up in Melbourne, and according to an account shared by the New York Post, the American was “savagely abused” by the Aussie fans who were fully behind the International Team.
The abuse got so bad that his caddie, Kessler Karain, hit back at one fan. “I had had enough . . . guy was about 3 feet from Patrick and said, ‘You ***** suck’. I got off the cart and shoved him,” he explained in the book ‘The Cup They Couldn’t Lose’ by Shane Ryan.
What Cam Smith said about Patrick Reed cheating at Hero World
What’s more, the abuse directed at Reed was actually somewhat incited by Cam Smith, who was scathing of the Texan’s conduct at the Hero World Challenge.
“To give a bit of a ***** response like the camera angle, that’s pretty up there,” said Smith.
“I don’t have any sympathy for anyone that cheats. I hope the crowd absolutely gives it to not only him but everyone next week.”
Interestingly, Smith’s comments about Reed in 2024 perhaps indicate that the pair are yet to settle their differences.
Patrick Reed’s latest comments on Australian golf fans
Despite the issues he faced in Melbourne, the Aussie fans in Adelaide haven’t held a grudge, and Reed praised the crowds after the first round.
“If somebody makes a hole-in-one on a hole like that, you expect just craziness and chaos, and it was. The great thing, I felt like everyone did it the right way,” Reed said.
“No one got hurt, which is good. You just never know with stuff flying around out there. I was glad to kind of go ahead and get out there and give them something that they wanted.”
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