Patrick Reed created a “sand storm” last week with his Hero World Challenge waste area antics. He’s provided ample “bulletin board” material for the International Team at the 2019 Presidents Cup. And the partisan Australian fans surely will hound Reed throughout the four days of the tournament. Captain Tiger Woods announced he will be Reed’s partner to deflect some of the pressure that’s sure to follow Reed at Royal Melbourne.
In addition, Woods initiated his version of Paul Azinger’s Ryder Cup “Pod System” by inviting Reed to sleep with him during the 17-hour flight to Australia. Woods also had the other 10 U.S. team members sleep with each other in their respective pods. “Guys really got to know each other during the long flight,” said Woods during a press conference yesterday. “What was surprising was that some guys — who are such tough competitors on the golf course — were quite gentle, caring, and giving of themselves during the flight. Guys really got to know each other. Patrick and I — when we weren’t sleeping — played video games, posted to our various social media accounts with the plane’s free WiFi, and shared secrets on how we put our hats on backwards.”
Reed was equally ebullient about the trans-Pacific bonding exercise: “You really don’t know a guy until you share a first-class airline cabin with him. Tiger was great — warm, empathetic, a great listener, and, dare I say, nurturing in a very real and profound way. And because he’s into fitness, he let me eat all of the chocolates that the flight attendants placed on our pillows.”
As for the players’ wives, caddies, coaches, and financial planners … they were housed in a pressurized container in the baggage hold. “I didn’t want my guys to be distracted by non-players. Getting the guys bonded for the entire flight was my mindset. We’ll see what happens; I’m stoked!” said Woods.
Added Reed: “Sleeping with Tiger Woods is something I’ll tell my grandchildren about. And the experience convinced me that I might never sue him.”
