Patrick Reed won his eighth PGA Tour event on Sunday at the WGC – Mexico Championship. On an afternoon that saw some of the world’s top golfers struggle over the Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City Reed found his game deep into the final nine on his way to victory.
Reed, the Bad Boy of the PGA Tour, carded three straight birdies before heading down the 72nd hole and when Bryson DeChambeau’s putter failed him on his last two holes, Reed was left with a two stroke lead before he sliced his final tee ball well right on eighteen.
But with a two stroke cushion Reed took the cautious route in knowing bogey would get him the win. He did just that and finished another controversial week on tour with his second WGC title.
Controversial weeks seem be the normal for the prickly Reed who cemented his status as Bad Boy with his questionable bunker play at last year’s Hero World Challenge.
Reed has been a lightning rod for controversy since his college days and issues with his parents, his character, fellow players and the rules have transformed him from Captain America to Black Bart.
It was fitting that he wore all black on Sunday as he has been cast as the anti-hero of the golf world.
This week the controversy was fueled by comments from fellow player Brooks Koepka and analyst Peter Kostis who questioned Reed’s penchant for rules violations. Cheating is a word rarely used on the Tour but Reed’s name is almost always associated with it now.
The media has questioned Reed on the matter and on the question of how he puts all this aside to be able to focus and play such high quality golf Reeds says he doesn’t hear anything and all he can do is focus on himself.
And maybe that’s somewhat true but there is more to how he does it.
He feeds on it.
He revels in being the outsider. He loves challenging the norms. Rules don’t apply to him. And he delights in being the Bad Boy.
It works for him. Many athletes in any sport, not just golf would have a difficult time in dealing with as much negative criticism as Reed had endured. But not this Bad Boy. This is the fuel that feeds his fire.
He operates in the “me against the world” attitude and it serves him well if winning at any cost truly matters.
Few players could deal with the constant attacks in the media and from their colleagues. But Reed derives his power from it.
The more arrows slung at him the stronger he gets. He is the rare player that truly doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him be it his fellow players, the media or the fans.
He’s the Bad Boy of the PGA Tour.
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