Patrick Reed's caddie says he shoved fan at Presidents Cup
Internationals extend lead over the United States on Day 3
The caddie for Patrick Reed says he shoved a fan Saturday after another loss at the Presidents Cup because the fan was too close to Reed and shouted an expletive at the embattled American player.
Kessler Karain, the brother-in-law of Reed, says he heard heckling for three days at Royal Melbourne and some had taken it too far and he'd had enough.
Reed was a singular target of the American team this year because of a rules violation last week in the Bahamas. He twice removed a clump of sand from behind his ball in a waste area at the Hero World Challenge. When he was shown the incident on video, Reed accepted the two-shot penalty.
"Riding on the cart, guy was about three feet from Patrick and said, `You [expletive] suck.' I got off the cart and shoved him, said a couple things, probably a few expletives," Karrain said in a statement to "Fore Play," a podcast operated by Barstool Sports.
Karrain said security arrived and he left in the cart.
"I don't think there's one caddie I know that could blame me," Karrain said. "Unless his bones break like Mr. Glass, the most harm done was a little spilled beer, which I'm more than happy to reimburse him for."
Fans this week have called the former Masters champion such things as "Patrick Cheat" and poked fun at him, with one fan introducing him as "The Excavator" when he teed off for a practice round Tuesday.
Reed didn't help his cause Friday when he made a birdie putt, cupped his ear and then pretended to use his putter as a shovel. He enjoys mixing it up with the gallery in these team competitions, but the rules violation in the Bahamas was blatant on the video and sensitive to players who hold the rules in high regard. Reed claimed his club was some eight inches behind the ball. Video did not indicate that.
Reed created the wrong kind of memories at the Ryder Cup last year when he did an interview with The New York Times right after the U.S. loss, criticizing Jim Furyk for sitting him out two matches and Jordan Spieth ending their partnership.
Woods, the U.S. captain at Royal Melbourne, used one of his four captain's picks on Reed.
U.S. struggles, Internationals extend lead
The International team claimed two of the four four-ball matches against the United States, while halving another, to improve its lead to 9-5 at the conclusion of Day 3.
Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, United States, def. Marc Leishman and Haotong Li, International, 3 and 2.
Thomas gave the Americans the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5 second hole. Li was in the trees and chipped out to the fairway, but he played out of turn. He had to replay the shot, clipped a tree and effectively was out of the hole. It was Li's first match of the week, and outside of a birdie on the par-3 third, he wasn't much help. Fowler made birdie on No. 5 to regain the lead, and the Americans never gave it back. Thomas remained undefeated for the week.
WATCH | C.T. Pan goes flag hunting:
Sungjae Im and Abraham Ancer, International, def. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, United States, 3 and 2.
The tone was set early when Ancer rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 3, and Schauffele had to make his 10-footer to halve the hole. They tied the opening seven holes, and then the Americans couldn't make par on No. 8 for the first lead. Im's birdie on the 10th extended the International lead to 2 up. Cantlay answered with a birdie on the 12th, only for Ancer to follow with a birdie two holes later. Ancer ended the match with a 25-foot birdie on the 16th, going to 3-0 for the week with three partners.
Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan, International, def. Reed and Simpson, United States, 5 and 3.
Matsuyama and Pan won again in fourballs and got little resistance against a Reed-Simpson duo that lost all three times playing together. Pan opened with a 12-foot birdie, Matsuyama made birdie from the same distance on the next hole. Reed and Simpson didn't put up much of a fight. The combined to make one birdie in fourballs, that from Simpson on the short 11th hole. In three partnerships, Simpson and Reed led after only one hole.
Matt Kuchar and Tony Finau, United States, halved with Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An.
WATCH | Abraham Ancer sinks ridiculous putt:
The best match of the morning, neither team led by more than 1 hole the entire match. The Americans were poised to go two up on the eighth hole when Finau had an eight-foot birdie and Scott was 30 feet away. Scott made his putt, Finau missed, and the match was all square. The Internationals took the lead on the 15th hole when they appeared certain to lose. An was in trouble behind the trees and wound up making a 12-foot birdie putt as Finau and Kuchar both missed birdies from inside eight feet. Finau made a 12-foot birdie putt to halve the 17th and extend the match, and a six-foot birdie putt to win the 18th hole and escape with a halve.
Day 3 pairings
Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland (United States) vs. Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) and Adam Scott (Australia)
Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler (United States) vs. Marc Leishman (Australia) and Abraham Ancer (Mexico)
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (United States) vs. Cameron Smith (Australia) and Sungjae Im (South Korea)
Matt Kuchar and Tony Finau (United States) vs. Byeong Hun An (South Korea) and Joaquin Niemann (Chile)
With files from CBC Sports