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The Loop
Ryder Cup 2018: Edoardo Molinari pokes fun at Patrick Reed during match against his brother
Patrick Reed trending on Twitter during a Ryder Cup is nothing new, but this time, it was for all the wrong reasons. As Reed hit a series of poor shots — several in the water — and even unleashed some very audible NSFW reactions (Good thing it's the weekend, huh?), people pounded their keyboards with negative tweets about Captain America. But the roughest one may have come from an unlikely source: His opponent's brother.
And no, this isn't another Danny Willett-P.J. Willett situation. Edoardo Molinari may be Francesco Molinari's brother, but he's a world-class player himself. The elder Molinari was a Ryder Cup teammate of Francesco's at the 2010 Ryder Cup and he won the 2005 U.S. Amateur. On Saturday morning, though, as Francesco and Tommy Fleetwood took a commanding lead over Reed and Tiger Woods in a four-ball match, Edoardo took dead aim at the struggling U.S. star.
Your opponent's brother? During the match?! Wow, that is savage right there. Molinari later clarified "it was just a bit of banter" and he "didn't intend to offend anyone." All good, Edoardo, especially considering how exciting it must have been to see your brother playing that well — not to mention Reed brings "banter" like this on himself.
However, it's also a bit unfair considering Reed went 3-0-1 in Scotland as a Ryder Cup rookie in 2014. And considering how well Molinari and Fleetwood — dubbed "MOLIWOOD" — have played so far this week. A 4-and-3 win by the dynamic duo over Reed/Woods (their second win against that vaunted U.S. pair) moved them to a perfect 3-0 in the event. No American combination had a chance against them the first two days.
But clearly, Reed, who entered this week with a dazzling career Ryder Cup record of 6-1-2, is having a rough time in Paris. And if he doesn't wish to receive anymore reminders while he sits out the Saturday afternoon session, he should probably keep his phone turned off.