The Patriot

Patrick reed on the Ryder cup, man-cave hangouts, blistered hands and savoring a steak in Shanghai.

- Guy Yocom

ABOUT this time of year, I start re-watching “The Patriot.” There’s this scene where the Americans are in a battle against the British and retreating. At which point Mel Gibson’s character retrieves an American flag, turns toward the British and charges headlong into them. The other colonists, seeing this, turn and follow. It totally turns the tide. That’s the spirit I try to play with in Ryder Cup. It’s far from life or death, but I think pride, determination and passion can take you a long way.

THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER were beating Golden State in an NBA playoff game when one of the commentators said something like, “Now is the time for the Thunder to close them out. They have to keep the pressure on, because if the Warriors make a comeback and the crowd gets into it, things will get a lot tougher for OKC.” That’s exactly how I felt when Henrik Stenson and I were all square going into the seventh hole of our Sunday singles match two years ago. When Henrik made a 20-footer for birdie on the seventh hole, the crowd went nuts. I had a 10-footer to tie that I felt I just had to make. When I poured it in, that’s when I made the “Shhh!” gesture at the gallery. It didn’t quiet them—they booed like crazy. I then turned to my fellow American supporters and screamed as loudly as l could, “Come on!” That putt kept the momentum on my side. Every single hole after that, as I walked down the fairway, the crowds were yelling, “Shhh!” Eventually, I took down Henrik on the 18th hole, won my singles match and closed out my Ryder Cup record 3-0-1. It was one of the greatest achievements I’ve ever had. There’s nothing more exciting in golf than playing for your country and being a part of the Ryder Cup team.