HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Jim Furyk had a busy Sunday planned. His daughter was playing in a volleyball tournament and he needed to pack for this week’s RBC Heritage.
He would not, however, allow a hectic day to keep him from watching the final round of the Masters, which was won by Patrick Reed in dramatic fashion. As this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup captain, Furyk took particular interest in Reed’s victory and sent him a text message Sunday night.
“I just told him how happy I was for him. That locks him up for the [U.S. Ryder Cup] team. He was sitting on that No. 9 spot and as a captain you’re always looking. You’re always watching,” Furyk said on Wednesday at Harbour Town. “You want a lot of different pieces to the puzzle. You want your best players and you want the calming effect and the emotional fireplug and the guy who can loosen everyone up. He’s obviously that emotional spark.”
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Reed, who moved to No. 1 on the Ryder Cup points list with his victory at Augusta National, has been a crucial part of U.S. teams, both at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, in recent years and provided a unique energy to the team room.
It was during the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland when Furyk had his first “Reed” experience after receiving what he described as a fiery text message from an unknown number.
“The text came out pumping up the team. I had no idea [who sent it], I had to text [Steve] Stricker and neither of us had that number in our phones,” Furyk said. “It came back P. Reed and we’re like, damn right. That was a heck of a text.”
Source: Internet
