Nobody is quite sure why the golfing public has little use for Reed. Perhaps enough fans have read about his misbehavior in college or have been turned off by his brash and boastful style. (He announced in the spring of 2014 that he was already among the world's top five players.) Perhaps some are aware that Reed has been estranged from his parents, younger sister and other family members for years over issues neither side of the divide will discuss for the record. Bill and Jeannette Reed, Patrick's parents, were expected to watch the Masters in their home only a few miles from Augusta National. They are not welcome at their son's tournaments, majors or minors. Asked if his family's absence made Sunday's triumph bittersweet, Reed said, "I'm just out here to play golf and try to win golf tournaments."
Patrick has been consistently unapologetic about almost everything in his life. "It's not a popularity contest out there," he told ESPN.com in 2014. Around the same time, his old coach at Georgia, Chris Haack, recalled one of his assistants scouting Reed in a high school tournament and returning with this report: "This guy hits it close all day long but never makes anything. If he ever figures out the putter, he's going to be dangerous."
