Patrick Reed Gets Late Olympic Call Up After DeChambeau Withdrawal

The Texan will make his second appearance for Team USA in the Olympic Games

Patrick Reed Gets Late Olympic Call Up
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Texan will make his second appearance for Team USA in the Olympic Games

Patrick Reed Gets Late Olympic Call Up After DeChambeau Withdrawal

Patrick Reed will be arriving in Tokyo on Wednesday afternoon after receiving a late call-up for the Olympics.

Captain America has been drafted in as first reserve for Team USA's men at the Games after Bryson DeChambeau tested positive for Covid-19.

"The rules official came out to me and said, hey, you need to give Andy a call, and he said it's about the Olympics," Reed explained on how he discovered that he would be heading to Tokyo.

"At that point I kind of knew already what was going on. I didn't know who or what, but I knew being first man up that I was going to have that potential of getting that call and go represent our country."

Reed played in the final round of the 3M Open, finishing T34th, and has now headed home to Texas before flying to San Francisco and then onto to Tokyo.

He'll be seeing Kasumigaseki Country Club for the first time when he tees up on Thursday.

"No [I won't have time for a practice round], but talked to my coach because he's going to be looping it for me, and my coach, my wife and my team, they kept on reminding me that, hey, you were in the Mondays when you were chasing Mondays, you were 6-6 when you were playing the golf courses blind and you're 0-2 on playing practice rounds," he said.

"These days with how good yardage books are and with how much we have to kind of figure things out on the fly as it is, I expect to go in there and play well and be able to manage the golf course and hit the golf shots.

"Anytime I can represent my country and go play for my country, I'm going to do it no matter what, no matter where it is, no matter what time zone or how I have to get there or anything.

"When they gave me the name Captain America, the fans did, it feels like an obligation and a duty of mine to go out and play for our country whenever I can and whenever I get the call.

"To be able to call myself not just an Olympian but a two-time Olympian is pretty sweet. I look forward to going over there and playing.

"I know things are going to be a little different this time than the first time we were at Rio where we were able to go and experience all the other venues and things like that, but to be able to go in and represent our country with a small group of guys and go out there and try to bring home gold is just an honor I can't pass up.

"It would mean everything. I mean, to be -- it's already awesome to be called and Olympian, but to be called a gold medalist, silver medalist or bronze medalist, it would mean a lot.

"That's something that we've only had an opportunity to do twice and to go ahead and kind of put a stamp and be able to add that to the trophy case would be amazing."

TOPICS
Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV