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A20 SPORTS
Tuesday 25 February 2020

Patrick Reed

Continued from Page 18 roy, Jon Rahm and Erik van target. DeChambeau was
Rooyen — hit the brakes. on the putting green in
Reed slips on ear pods Reed stayed in the game case of a playoff, and when
when he arrives on the put- with a pair of par putts and Reed won, he walked over
ting green and uses what- a birdie on No. 12, his first the bridge toward the 18th
ever natural powers he has since the opening hole. green to congratulate him.
to block everything out Still two shots behind with Kindred spirits, those two,
while inside the ropes. four holes to play, he which is not to suggest they
"It didn't bother me at picked up a birdie on the are popular.
all," Reed said. "I'm on the par-5 15th. Blocked by the "There's been a lot of stuff
golf course. I'm focusing edges of trees left of the said in past years, I guess
on what I need to do. My 16th fairway, he hooked you could say, with him,
team knows that when I'm a gap wedge that rode and even with me. I feel like
playing in tournaments, I'm the ridge of the 16th green unfortunately sometimes
kind of in my zone doing my and fed down the slope to we get quite a bad rap," Patrick Reed of the United States gives the thumbs up after
thing. I'd have to talk to my 3 feet. That gave him the DeChambeau said. "He's a winning the WGC-Mexico Championship golf tournament, at the
team later on to see how lead when DeChambeau great player, and he'll be Chapultepec Golf Club in Mexico City, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020.
much it bothered them or bogeyed the par-3 17th, a great player for a long Associated Press
not. Because when it's tour- and Reed followed behind time, and I have a lot of re- angle would have shown altercation with a fan and
nament week, it's me going him with an 18-foot birdie spect for his game." his club wasn't as close to was suspended from cad-
out there, playing golf." putt — his 45th one-putt What dogs Reed was a mo- the ball as it looked and dying in the final session.
He was part of a mas- of the week — that all but ment in the third round at he didn't know his club The next day, Reed won
sive traffic jam, even by sealed it. He closed with the Hero World Challenge touched the sand. Twice. his first point of the week,
Mexico City standards, at a 4-under 67 for a one- in the Bahamas, when It was a bad look, but it handily beating C.T. Pan in
Chapultepec Golf Club. shot victory, his eighth on his ball was in an awful lie didn't bother Reed. He shot 16 holes.
Five players had at least a the PGA Tour and second in the waste area on the 66 the next day and fin- In his next PGA Tour start,
share of the lead at one World Golf Championship. 11th hole. Video clearly ished third. Reed was in a three-man
point. Four were tied head- No one should have been showed him twice swiping Cameron Smith spoke out playoff at Kapalua. On his
ed for the back nine. surprised, least of all De- away sand behind his ball. against him ahead of the final putt in the playoff,
Bryson DeChambeau hit Chambeau. He has taken In the scoring room after- Presidents Cup, where which Thomas won, a fan
the accelerator as just his brunt of criticism for his ward, Reed accepted the Reed was heckled so badly cried out, "CHEATER!" as the
about everyone else — pace of play, feeling as two-shot penalty, all while that his caddie, brother-in- ball was on its way. Reed
Justin Thomas, Rory McIl- though he has become a saying a different camera law Kessler Karain, had an says he never heard him.q