Patrick Reed says he could’ve made a huge difference at the Ryder Cup.
The LIV Golf recruit and former Masters champion was overlooked for the most recent edition of the biennial contest between the United States and Europe at Bethpage Black.
Reed was always thought of as extremely unlikely to receive a captain’s pick but he gave skipper Keegan Bradley something to think about with his top-five Masters finish.
The result clearly demonstrated the 35-year-old still had the ability to compete at the very top of the elite men’s game.
US Ryder Cup team 2025
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Bradley ultimately decided against picking Reed, instead opting for Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns as his wildcards.
The United States team looked as though they were heading for a drubbing on home soil and entered the Sunday singles trailing by seven points.
They produced a spirited fightback but ended up losing 15-13 to Luke Donald’s Europe. A devastated Bradley recently admitted he is unlikely to ever get over the defeat.
In a wide-ranging interview with bunkered, Reed said he believed he would’ve been a huge asset.
“I felt like I definitely could have helped out the team,” he told the publication.
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“I would had been a huge asset to that team. I had multiple conversations with Keegan, and he was very upfront with me and I knew it was an uphill battle to make the team, but at the end of the day, he decided to go a different direction.
“That’s up to the captain. He’s going to try to put the best team he feels like forward, and, you know, I mean, but I definitely felt like I could have helped that team out.”
Reed, who admitted he did not watch the action at Bethpage Black, has played in three Ryder Cups throughout his career.
Patrick Reed and Donald Trump
He made his debut in the contest at Gleneagles in 2014, going 3-0-1 as a rookie. Europe won 16½ – 11½.
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Two years later he famously defeated Rory McIlroy in the singles when the United States won back the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. To this day, it is still widely regarded as one of the best matches of all time.
His last Ryder Cup appearance was at Le Golf National in 2018. Reed won his singles match against Tyrrell Hatton to remain undefeated in the format but otherwise endured a frustrating week.
Reed, who was nicknamed ‘Captain America’, was sent out with Tiger Woods twice tasted defeat to the formidable pairing of Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood.
Elsewhere in the interview, Reed said he believes he is capable of winning the career grand slam and his hope that the elite men’s game can come together after a few years of disruption at the top level.
Bradley will never get over Ryder Cup defeat
The PGA of America have not named Keegan Bradley’s replacement yet.
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There has been speculation the 39-year-old will be given another chance, although the aforementioned Woods is the favourite to take the reins.
Jim Furyk, Fred Couples and Brandt Snedeker are also in the running.
Bradley told reporters last month he fears he will “never get over” the defeat.
He accepted he had made some wrong calls such as setting up the course incorrectly.
But he stopped short saying that his pairings were incorrect.
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“Since Bethpage, this has been one of the toughest times in my life,” said Bradley, in his first news conference since the event.
“You win, it’s glory for a lifetime – but I didn’t and I’m going to have to sit with this for the rest of my life.
“There’s no part of me that thinks I’ll ever get over this. This event has been so brutal to me. I’ll forever wonder and wish.”
Bradley has now lost three Ryder Cups as a player and captain.
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He still hasn’t unpacked his suitcase from the 2012 defeat at Medinah and also was a member of the losing US side at Gleneagles in 2014.
The next Ryder Cup will take place at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.
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