Spieth, Reed reunite with a hug and a laugh

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This article was published 26/01/2019 (2760 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SAN DIEGO – Jordan Spieth ended any speculation about his relationship with Patrick Reed with a hug.

Spieth and Reed played together Saturday in the Farmers Insurance Open. It was the most time they have spent with each other since sitting on opposite sides of a table in a closing Ryder Cup press conference amid questions why they weren’t partners in France.

Reed made it a divisive issue in a telephone interview with The New York Times a few hours earlier when he blamed Spieth for them not playing together. When asked at the end of last year whether he has spoken to Spieth, Reed said no and that Spieth had his number.

At Torrey Pines, it was as if nothing had ever happened — except for the first tee.

Spieth walked over and shook hands with Reed’s caddie, John Chin and his caddie, and then he smiled and wrapped his arms around Reed as both laughed.

“It was more kind of sarcasm toward y’all,” Spieth told reporters. “We’ve seen each other plenty of times at Sony and here and everything has been the way it normally is. We knew the cameras were on and we knew people were interested in that, so I just thought it would be kind of funny.”

Reed said the Ryder Cup moment was forgotten in his mind as soon as they got off the plane from France.

“It’s really nothing,” Reed said. “Jordan and I, we’ve moved on. We’re now just out here trying to play some good golf and trying to feed off of each other as well as just trying to go out and shoot low numbers.”

Spieth and Reed were 4-1-2 as Ryder Cup partners in Scotland and Minnesota. At last year’s Ryder Cup, however, Spieth played with Thomas and it was the most successful U.S. team in France as they went 3-1. Reed played with Tiger Woods and went 0-2.

Spieth predicted a moment like this when he showed up in Honolulu two weeks ago and was asked about Reed.

“It will be interesting if we’re competing on Sunday, what will be talked about outside of us. Between us, it won’t be anything extra than what there always is, which is peers trying to win a tournament,” he said then.

And that’s how it looked Saturday.

“Everything got blown up more than it should have been,” Spieth said. “It was just another round.”

Reed had a 3-under 69. Spieth was making a run until a triple bogey on the 15th hole, and he had to settle for a 72.