SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — All week, U.S. Ryder Cup fans have wondered why team captain Jim Furyk split up the superstar pairing of Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. The duo had led the U.S. teams in 2014 and ’16, going 5-1-2 in fourball and foursomes matches. But Reed went 0-2 this year, partnering with Tiger Woods in each match.
Several tweets Sunday morning from Reed’s wife, Justine, offered some insight as to a potential reason behind the split. She told another user to “ask Jordan” about the split and also lashed out at the media, calling Golf Channel’s coverage “journalistically disqualified” after one its editors criticized Reed’s play on Saturday.
Justine declined to elaborate on the tweets when approached by a reporter at Le Golf National Sunday afternoon. Asked to confirm that the account is hers, she said, “I can’t really say. I don’t know.” When pressed for details, Justine declined to comment further.
Justine’s tweets suggested that Spieth, not Reed, was the cause for the split. Spieth played with Justin Thomas during each team session this week. “Patrick never said that he didn’t want to play with Jordan,” Justine tweeted. “Maybe you should ask Jordan why he didn’t want to play with Patrick. You don’t have to love the people you work with – but when you have chemistry and success, you go with it for the TEAM.”
She also suggested that Woods, Thomas and Rickie Fowler could have worked interchangeably as partners, maintaining the Spieth-Reed pairing in the process.
You can see those tweets below.
I can assure you- you’re wrong. Patrick never said that he didn’t want to play with Jordan. Maybe you should ask Jordan why he didn’t want to play with Patrick. You don’t have to love the people you work with- but when you have chemistry and success, you go with it for the TEAM.
— Justine (@JustineKReed) September 28, 2018
It was set up that way. He was the leading point scorer for the last two Ryder Cups. You don’t see any of the others playing Molinari and Fleetwood? Yet you change the most winning pairing in American History in Patrick and Jordan.
— Justine (@JustineKReed) September 29, 2018
Exactly. And Tiger and Justin play well together as well and I think Ricky found a great partner in Justin in the last Presidents cup ‘17, therefore if Tiger needed to rest or vice verse…they could easily have been interchangeable.
— Justine (@JustineKReed) September 30, 2018
It has been a trying week for Patrick Reed. He earned the nickname “Captain America” as he led the team in points during memorable Ryder Cup showings in 2014 and 2016. But he and Woods went 0-2 in fourball matches on Friday and Saturday. Reed especially struggled during Saturday morning’s match, finding the water multiple times, hitting a tee shot out of bounds and making just a single birdie. The U.S. side lost to Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari 5&4.
Golf Channel’s Jay Coffin sent a tweet after the match remarking on Reed’s poor play. Justine objected to the nature of the tweet.
Wow. And you’re the Editor of @GolfChannel Doesn’t surprise me. He didn’t hit many fairways today, but many didn’t. He made sure he scrambled. First day, he made 5 birdies, and hit a ton of fairways, and sat the afternoon. I guess this is where the hate comes from @GolfChannel
— Justine (@JustineKReed) September 29, 2018
You must be living in La la land! They (GC) are the ones that are unspeakably awful. Not even trying to hide their bias, their prejudice and their hatred. Journalistically disqualified. Have been for a long time. Now others can see it clearly as well.
— Justine (@JustineKReed) September 30, 2018
Reed defeated Tyrrell Hatton 3&2 in his singles match Sunday.
