Patrick Reed chasing U.S. Open title in a sprint with Jordan Spieth
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — It would be going too far to call it an obsession, but Patrick Reed seems to have quite an affinity for Jordan Spieth.
The 24-year-old Reed has four PGA Tour wins, two of them coming in three career sudden-death playoffs. In two of those playoffs, Spieth was Reed’s adversary. They’ll once again square off on Saturday, this time in the final group of the U.S. Open.
Reed got his first PGA Tour win at Spieth’s expense, breaking through at the 2013 Wyndham Championship in a delightful game of one-upsmanship. Earlier this season, Spieth evened the series, winning the Valspar Championship in Tampa over Reed and fellow playoff competitor Sean O’Hair.
Though they’ve squared off a few times, that’s not to say there’s a distaste for each other. Perhaps the contrary. The two worked together as one of the few bright-spot duos in the Americans’ losing effort in last year’s Ryder Cup in Scotland. They’re both fiery match-play buffs, fierce fans of competition and have a flare for the dramatic.
In other words, Saturday should be entertaining, if not spectacular.
When Reed gets into a position to win, he locks down like a bulldog on a piece of meat. He rarely lets go. At the Honda Classic in March, Reed couldn’t seal the deal, clearing the stage for a surprising Padraig Harrington win. Beyond that, Reed has rarely shown a chink in the armor, either as a pro or a standout collegiate at Augusta State, when battling for a win.
On Friday, Reed again showed his tenacity. After consecutive bogeys at Nos. 9 and 10, Reed bounced back with a birdie at the 500-yard par-4 11th and then eagled the drivable par-4 12th. Suddenly, what had almost been lost had been regained and then some. Reed assumed the lead in the championship.
Immediately after, Reed lost momentum, making bogey at the 13th and dropping a shot after a misplaced tee shot to the par-3 15th. After getting heckled on the 16th tee, Reed drove his ball into the long, deep bunker guarding the right side. Reed may have hit his best shot of the day from that deep ditch, sticking his next shot to 2 feet for birdie. A closing bogey left him tied with Spieth.
For whatever reason, Reed hasn’t been able to translate his early PGA Tour success into major contention. The Masters in April marked Reed’s first top-25 major finish in five starts. Maybe it’s a case of trying too hard, succumbing to the external and internal pressure to live up to the self-assigned moniker of being a Top Five Player after he won last year at Doral.
Saturday represents an opportunity for Reed to get one step closer in his climb to the top. It began with a Monday qualifier (the nearly impossible way to earn a PGA Tour card) in 2011 with his wife Justine on the bag. It led to a tour card that gave him the chance to break through in Greensboro against Spieth. That opened up the flood gates to the tun of four wins in less than 18 months. The experience of closing out – including against Spieth – may be what he needs to see through his first major title.
Having Jordan Spieth alongside can’t hurt either.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
