AUGUSTA, Ga. — If not for the big magnolia tree off the right side of the 18th fairway, Saturday’s final pairing would be about as juicy as it gets for the Masters.
“Been behind it twice,” Patrick Reed lamented after finishing up his second consecutive 69 to head into the weekend at 6-under par.
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Reed’s tee shot at 18 on Friday probably won’t be the difference in him winning or losing the tournament. But it did cost him the chance to play in the final group head-to-head with Rory McIlroy.
If you don’t recall, there’s some pretty interesting history in that pairing.
When Reed won this tournament in 2018, he and McIlroy were in the final group on Sunday — the last time they played together at the Masters. Even more memorable was their Ryder Cup duel in 2016 — one of the most electric singles matches in the history of the event with highlight-reel shots, back-and-forth trash talk and Reed earning the “Captain America” nickname with a 1-up victory as the U.S. team cruised to victory on Sunday.
There’s also been subsequent beef between them. At a tournament in Dubai in 2023, after Reed had left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, Reed attempted to say hello to McIlroy on the driving range but was essentially rebuffed. The exchange ended with Reed reaching into his pocket and flicking a LIV tee toward McIlroy.
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Why was McIlroy upset at Reed? Because Reed’s attorney, Larry Klayman, had served McIlroy with a subpoena on Christmas Eve as part of a wide-ranging defamation lawsuit against the PGA Tour for colluding with the DP World Tour to prevent players from leaving for LIV.
Of course, irony of ironies, Reed announced in January that he was leaving LIV to re-join the PGA Tour when he’s eligible later this summer.
So in a tournament that McIlroy has grabbed by the neck with a six-stroke lead heading into the weekend, Reed playing the foil once again would have at least made for good theater. But thanks to his only bogey of the day, it was not to be — for now.
“The worst part and the thing that frustrated me most is I hit every golf shot how I wanted to,” Reed said. “On 18 you’re having to get up and down, and then hit the putt where I wanted to and just doesn’t go in. Things like that happen around here. In golf in general.”
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Still, it would be hard for Reed to be disappointed with the way he’s playing. After some outstanding results this year on the DP World Tour, including wins at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the Qatar Masters, he has differentiated himself from others who either recently left LIV or are stuck there for the foreseeable future by competing well against top-caliber fields. (See, Bryson DeChambeau, who missed the cut Friday.)
It suggests he’ll be a force when he does get back on the PGA Tour — especially if he can dig back into the heel persona that has long made him one of the most divisive players in the world.
“As a whole the game feels solid,” he said. “Just need to continue to give myself opportunities. Any time I sit there and shoot back-to-back 69s or anything in the 60s on Thursday, Friday in Augusta, you’re happy.”
And who knows, if McIlroy doesn’t have his best stuff on Saturday, another 69 or something in that neighborhood could give Reed a chance to get back in this thing. The 35-year old who led nearby Augusta State to a couple of NCAA championships is obviously comfortable here, with five top-10 finishes in his last eight Masters, including the victory.
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With McIlroy fully in control of the tournament heading into the weekend, a chance to look him in the eye on Sunday is all Reed can ask for at this point.
“After winning in ’18, at that point I definitely felt like I have always wanted to put (the green jacket) on a second time,” Reed said. “As players and as professional golfer you always have to believe in yourself that you can. Until you do, you always have that just little voice of doubt in the back of your mind.
“I was able to close out in ’18 and give myself some good opportunities since then. Hopefully we can go ahead and get my second one.”
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