Henry McKenna
NFL Reporter
It wasn’t easy getting Patrick Reed to talk about golf. Turns out, he’s much more interested in chatting about the NFL and his Houston Texans. Reed loves team sports. He’s a C.J. Stroud apologist and went so far as to say that Dak Prescott isn’t a top 10 quarterback and, if Stroud were a Cowboy, would prove he was one of the NFL’s best at his position.
Reed’s takes were so hot that I didn’t want to change the subject. So I figured: Let’s talk golf and football — all at once. Which NFL QB would Reed compare his game to?
“Problem is, I look at these NFL quarterbacks and I’m not the most mobile guy in the world,” he said with a chuckle. “I mean, it’s hard not to say Joe Burrow or Jayden Daniels. I love those guys, because I went to high school on the LSU campus.”
How else would Reed compare himself to them?
“I’ve always been vocal. I try to lead, even if it’s my team or not. I try to set by example. Work hard and really just try to get the guys going,” Reed said. “And really, that’s the role of all quarterbacks, right? I mean, they’re the ones that are supposed to be the leaders of the teams. I want to pump up teams — to be the one that gets the guys going.”
Patrick Reed is enjoying a strong season on LIV, sitting sixth in the standings.
If you feel like — over the course of his answer — he’s making his case to serve on the Ryder Cup team, you’re probably not wrong. He’s a longshot. But he’s holding out hope.
That only builds the pressure for Reed heading into LIV Golf Indianapolis this weekend. On the LIV Tour, he currently sits sixth the season-long standings, with six finishes inside the top-ten and an individual win at LIV Dallas in June. He won’t make the Ryder Cup team competing in September based on points alone, but maybe he can get hot enough to convince team captain Keegan Bradley to select him.
“To be honest with you, obviously, being part of LIV, it’s a little harder, right?” Reed said. “Most likely everyone that’s a part of LIV is going to rely on a pick — unless you do something spectacular, like Bryson [DeChambeau] has done in the majors.”
Reed is “Captain America.” He earned the nickname in 2014 when he served as an electric force for the U.S. Team. And that’s not the only thing that stuck with him from that particular Ryder Cup. Reed said he met a wounded U.S. military veteran who gifted the golfer an American Flag. Since that day in 2014, that flag has not left Reed’s bag — not for a single practice or tournament.
“That shows what this country means to me,” Reed said.
The Ryder Cup has a special place in Reed’s heart. But his success — with a 7-3-2 individual record — has not been without controversy. He hasn’t gotten along with every single one of his teammates. Former members of Team USA have spoken about it. He spoke openly about that.
“When I was on PGA Tour before LIV, it was one event a year where you’re a part of a team at the President’s Cup or Ryder Cup. So you’re taking all these individuals and then being like, ‘Hey, y’all know how to be best buddies for this one week.’ That was hard to figure out,” he said. “You have different personalities. When it’s just yourself out there on that leaderboard, you have your team at home and stuff, but you’re the alpha. And so now you’re putting 12 alphas in the same room and being like, ‘Hey, y’all have to mend and merge and build that camaraderie.’”
Patrick is eager for another shot at Ryder Cup glory.
Reed said he felt like things were different for him now. Not only is he among the world’s best golfers, but he also thinks he’s grown as a teammate, thanks in large part to his work on the LIV Tour, where he’s teammates with captain Dustin Johnson, Harold Varner and Thomas Pieters on the 4Aces, who sit at fifth in the team standings.
Reed indicated he’s worked hard to understand how to work within that group.
“Being a part of LIV, we know how that [team dynamic] is,” Reed said. “We know how to adapt. We know how to reach different personalities, how to feel, to handle them. …I feel like I’ve grown a lot on that aspect. And you know, because of that, I feel like I’d be a huge asset for the team.”
Even if Reed doesn’t end up making the team this year, which he has acknowledged will be a “uphill battle,” there could be possibilities down the line. For example, what about as a team captain?
“That’d be awesome. Of course,” he said. “For me, anything that has to do with the United States, anytime I get to wear red, white and blue, anytime I can represent my country — it means so much to me.”
Reed said he felt Bradley would make the right decision. No matter what happens, Reed made it clear the Ryder Cup will be a big part of his legacy.
“When you’re on the tours, everyone has that on their schedule. You’re always trying to make the team. And it’s the one even that — at least in the past — you don’t get paid for it. You’re going out there and representing your country and going to play because want to win so badly for your country and something bigger than you,” he said. “I think it’s a huge part of your legacy. … I think that’s a part of my legacy as ‘Captain America.’”
Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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