Jack Nicklaus shared similarities with Patrick Reed when he came through the ranks on the PGA Tour way back in the early 1960s.
Nicklaus burst onto the scene and started to steal the show from fan favorite Arnold Palmer and in the early days, the ‘Golden Bear’ incurred the wrath of ‘The King’s’ fans.
The same can be said for Reed. The now 35-year-old was tarred with the brush of being rather aloof and arrogant after he claimed he was a top-five player in the world after winning the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral in 2014.
And sadly, he just hasn’t been given a fair chance by the media, fans and even some PGA Tour players.
However, Reed was backed up by US fans after his Ryder Cup comments, when he suggested that he would have been a real asset to Keegan Bradley’s side.
That said, it’s fair to say that the 2018 Masters champion has been on the wrong end of plenty of unfair criticism throughout his time in the professional game.
What Jack Nicklaus noticed about Patrick Reed every time he met him
In 2018, Rory McIlroy was the fan favourite at Augusta National.
The Masters patrons were behind McIlroy rather than Reed, and Gary Player, a man who has huge respect for the LIV Golf star, suggested at the time that was ‘unusual’ considering the fact that American fans usually support their own players.
Nicklaus is another man who is seemingly a big fan of Reed.
After Reed won The Masters in 2018, Nicklaus sent him a message in response to the harsh treatment he had received form the media and certain sections of golf fans.
The Golden Bear said: “Keep winning on the big stage. Be a gentleman.
“That’s not a bad formula. If people think you’re a good person, if you handle yourself well, they’ll eventually come over to you. I think that’s the way I always felt. I can only be me, and Patrick can only be himself. I’ll say this, he’s a good player. And every time I’ve met him, he’s had nothing but a smile on his face, a good firm handshake and a pleasant thing to say. So I’ll judge him on what I’ve seen.”
Nicklaus then commented on Reed’s victory at Augusta National.
“I thought the golf he played there was terrific.
“He showed a lot of guts coming down the stretch. He had a lot of guys playing well around him and he stood up to it, did very well with (the pressure).”
Criticism of Patrick Reed is totally unfair
It’s like Reed is not even given a chance anymore.
The media rarely report on Reed positively in a positive manner, whatever he has or hasn’t done.
Reed opened up recently on how the treatment he has received from the media has even affected his children.
The media and the fans should start taking Reed at face value, just like Nicklaus did back in 2018, rather than acting on their preconceived notions of him.
He is a fierce competitor on the golf course and has sometimes made very bold statements about his own talent, but what’s wrong with that?
Nobody makes it to the very top of elite level sport if they don’t have a certain kind of arrogance about them.
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