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U.S. Open 2019: Patrick Reed explains breaking his wedge, 'I got my anger out'

June 15, 2019
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PEBBLE BEACH — It had to be done, Patrick Reed said on Saturday.

A day after flubbing a chip on the 18th hole and angrily snapping his 61-degree lob wedge over his leg before discarding it in the rough for his caddie to pick up, Reed was happy to have moved on.

“At the end of the day I got my anger out,” he said following a third-round 72 that has him three-over and out of contention at the U.S. Open. “I didn’t do anything to the golf course. I didn’t say any obscenities. It was a split second and we moved on.”

Golf has certainly seen its share of outbursts through the years and this year has been no exception, some far more egregious than others.

Earlier this season, Sergio Garcia damaged multiple greens and took several swipes at the sand in a bunker at the Saudi International. He was disqualified from the event for his conduct and later apologized.

On Thursday, Lucas Bjerregaard hit two drives into the water along 18 and a third out of bounds before hurling his driver into Stillwater Cove. He went on to make an 11 on the hole.

As for Reed, his outburst was captured on camera and spread like wildfire on social media.

“There’s a reason why I call it 61 and done,” he said of the offending club, which he later replaced. “Usually it gets me out of jail. It kept me in jail on that one.

“It happens. Things like that probably shouldn't happen but as long as you're not damaging the golf course or damaging the players you're playing with, I’d rather let it out than keep it in. Players, even at this level, whether you're playing well or playing poorly, anytime you hit a bad golf shot and put yourself in a really bad spot you're always upset.”