Editor’s Note: Geoff is a friend. His post was written as satire on April Fool’s Day! We wrote one of our own about Augusta legend Jeff Knox.
Golfweek contributor Geoff Shackelford wrote up a pretty hilarious April Fool’s Day post about Patrick Reed and his wife Justine.
Shack writes:
After successfully convincing instructorDavid Leadbetter to help with her husband’s game without Patrick Reed’s knowledge, Justine Reed is pulling out all the stops as her man prepares his Augusta National return. She has enlisted celebrity chef Guy Fieri to take over Champion’s Dinner preparations just two weeks shy of the annual Tuesday gathering where her husband is this 2019’s host.
Via text, Mrs. Reed confirmed the news.
“Guy and I chatted at length about the menu and we are pleased to welcome him to the team,” Justine Reed said. “He is going to ensure that Patrick stays on his current diet while all of the former champions get something better than what the club wanted Patrick to serve.”
Justine also confirmed her intention to be the first spouse to attend the Champion’s Dinner. While Patrick is not yet aware of his wife’s plan just as he was not aware of the Leadbetter outreach, Justine confirmed her plan to this decision out on their shared wavelength sometime Monday night of tournament week.
Shackelford later Tweeted that the post was a joke, which caught the attention of Reed’s mom, Jeannette.
Of course, Geoff, a joke at someone else’s expense…obviously, your can tell the importance of one’s job when they have to stoop to such low levels #funnynotfunnyGeoff
— Jeannette Reed (@JKReed58) April 2, 2019
This appears to be a weird situation we’ve got here. The Reeds are sticking up for their son and his wife who they have had no contact with since Patrick and Justine wed in December 2012.
It’s unfortunate that the two sides can’t work past their issues and get along, or at least attempt to get along well enough for the guy’s own parents to watch him play in person. In 2014, Justine apparently had Reed’s parents removed from the U.S. Open.
“They’ve had no contact with their son since he got married, despite repeatedly emailing him and reaching out through intermediaries. A friend of Bill and Jeannette’s had extra tickets to the 2014 U.S. Open, so with some trepidation, they went to Pinehurst No. 2 and followed Patrick throughout the second round. Justine was also in the gallery, but no words were exchanged.
“Walking up the 18th hole, Bill, Jeannette and Hannah were surrounded by police officers. They ultimately were escorted off the grounds and had their tournament badges confiscated by a USGA official who, according to Jeannette, said he was acting on Justine’s wishes. (Patrick and Justine declined to comment on any aspect of their relationship with his parents.)”
Bill and Jeannette Reed’s son is a Masters champion and she expressed how proud of him they are in a 2018 interview with Golf.com’s Alan Shipnuck after he won the Masters.
“Of course we’re so happy for Patrick,” Jeannette said. She started to add something else but had to stop to cry a little more.
Situations like this are sad and unfortunate, but they do happen and although they are technically none of our business, Patrick is a public figure and people want to know why the two sides can’t work through their issues.
We can all hope that one day, that will happen.
If you want to read more about the Reeds, this story from Shane Ryan is good.
[Image via Patrick Reed]
