Steve Stricker, captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, describes the phone call he made with Patrick Reed to inform him that he wasn't going to make it. (1:16).
Steve Stricker did not select Patrick Reed as one of his at-large picks to represent the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He is the only American player with a winning record in this competition, which has seen Europe win nine of the past 12 events.
This decision was met with a lot of criticisms on social media, as well as a lot of support for Reed. Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, has been nicknamed "Captain America" and enjoys his role in U.S. Cup competitions.
Many of the tweets criticised Stricker. One called him a "coward" and others criticized Reed for not being there. Reed, or the person who manages his Twitter account, "liked" more than 12 of these tweets. This includes those that disparage Stricker.
Twitter
Twitter
Since the Tour Championship began last week, he hasn't tweeted.
Reed, 31 years old, is a nine-time winner of the PGA Tour and has been involved in numerous rules controversies. Reed also lamented the fact that he was separated from Jordan Spieth in the aftermath the 2018 Ryder Cup in France -- a decision Reed claimed caught him off guard.
Reed was admitted to the hospital with bilateral pneumonia last month. He said that his life was at risk during the Tour Championship. Reed was able play, he tied for 17th at the Atlanta. However, doctors advised him to drive from Houston to Atlanta as he was concerned about his lungs.
Stricker stated, "Patrick Reed...that was a very very difficult call." "Kinda lost sleep over this one. He is a formidable competitor. He plays a lot in match-play golf. His record at Ryder Cup is quite impressive. It was difficult to make the right decision. It was the uncertainty in his health and the lack of play that made it difficult to make the right decision.
Reed's record is 7-3-2 in three Ryder Cup appearances. He also has three singles wins. Spieth was a part of all four matches played in France by Justin Thomas, but none of Reed's team wins were possible without him.
Reed was 1-2 in France, and 1-3 in Melbourne during the 2019 Presidents Cup.
