Patrick Reed entered President's Cup under the shadow of a major controversy. Accused of cheating, Reed was having a hard time convincing everyone that his moving of the sand which improved his lie during a tournament prior to President's Cup wasn't deliberate and an honest mistake.
But now, a new controversy has arisen related to the American golfer as his caddie, who also happens to be his brother-in-law, has been banned from accompanying him during his match on Sunday. The incident took place on Saturday morning when the golfer was competing in a four-ball match.
The caddie in focus, Kessler Karain, accepted the decision but defended himself and his actions.
"As a caddy, one of your jobs is to protect your player. And unlike several other sports, in golf fans can get pretty close to athletes. We have been known for having fun with some good banter, but after hearing several fans in Australia for three days, some had taken it too far. I had had enough. And this gentleman was one of them.
"Riding on the cart, guy was about three feet from Patrick and said, 'You f***ing suck.' I got off the cart and shoved him, said a couple things, probably a few expletives. Security came out and I got back in the car and left. I don't think there's one caddy I know that could blame me. 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," Karain stated in his statement to a radio podcast.
This wasn't the first occasion when Reed had been at the receiving end of jeering from the crowd. Fans have been taunting the controversial golfer throughout the event and have thrown unsubtle jibes at him. Before the start of the event, even couple of his own teammates indirectly criticised him.
In the absence of his regular caddie, the responsibility for this role would be taken up by the American's swing coach Kevin Kirk. International team's captain Ernie Els also weighed in on the controversy.
"The caddie must have been very hot and obviously fed up with what he heard, probably, and I feel for the fan. He came to watch golf and that's probably the last thing he thought was going to happen," Els surmised.
