Reed sticks it to two feet and shushes the crowd.
When Reed shushes the crowd, it doesn’t just mean figuratively, as he silences them from cheering against him. No, Reed gives this one a literal shush, harkening back to his Captain America days in the Ryder Cup, when he was beloved by U.S. fans and Public Enemy No. 1 in European nations.
Once again, this role just fits his personality.
No other golfer has welcomed such animosity in recent memory. Colin Montgomerie was heckled so much in America that his sublime European record never translated to any major victories here. It took Sergio Garcia until late in his career when he finally overcame public sentiment to win one. Even Tiger Woods, after his highly publicized personal scandal, endured planes circling overhead advertising strip clubs and fans jeering him, struggling for two full years before reclaiming any success.
He taps in the birdie putt and relishes the moment, giving a quick fist-bump to his caddie and bouncing his way to the second tee. Dressed head-to-toe in black, Reed is the antihero that golf might not want, but might also need – a player who inspires passion amongst the masses, something which can’t be said for many others.
You can feel it amongst the gallery, too.
There are no further catcalls after those first two outbursts — not yet, at least — but now it’s Reed who appears ready to start yelling at people, possibly the first reverse-taunt in Masters history.
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Fifteen minutes ago, this was a crowd that by and large didn’t want Reed to win. One hole in, and it’s a completely partisan gallery. Any ill feelings toward Reed are now visible. If a fan was impartial before, now they dislike him; if they disliked him before, now they abhor him.
You decided to follow this pairing for your bet on Rahm, but it’s now evident that this is the one to watch just because of the back-and-forth that will be continuing between Reed and the fans all day.
He’s either going to win and shush them with a different finger or lose to the delight of everyone else.
