Patrick Reed returned to Augusta National Golf Club in 2019, a year after beating out fellow golf superstars Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler to win his first Masters Tournament.
The rift between Reed and his family dates back to 2012, when Reed married Justine Karain at 22 years old. According to aGolfreport, Reed’s parents, Bill and Jeannette, believed their son was too young to marry. When they approached him about their concerns, Reed proceeded to cut off all communication with them leading up to his wedding.
Since then, there doesn’t seem to have been any direct contact with the family and the Masters champion.
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The divide between the family then spilled out onto social media in 2016, when Justine wrote a post that called her husband’s parents “sick people” for allegedly causing him abuse when he was a child.
In response, Reed’s sister, Hannah, responded back with her own Facebook post that defended Bill and Jeannette and denied any abuse claims. She then attacked her brother for becoming a “horrible stranger” since ceasing contact with the family.
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“I have sat back and watched the numerous and disgusting accusation his wife, mother-in-law and everyone now associated as his family have made. Patrick is not the same person he used to be,” Hannah wrote, according toGolf. “This is not a brother anymore, but a selfish, horrible stranger and it’s heartbreaking… It is devastating seeing my parents hurt and suffer from what is being posted about them.”
In his report,Golfreporter Alan Shipnuck noted that despite their estrangement with Reed, the family still displays memorabilia around their home from his golfing career, such as crystal trophies, photographs and commemorative golf bags. Reed’s mother also routinely voices her support from him on social media.
Reed’s father, Bill, toldESPNthat when his son sealed his historic win, the family celebrated together at their home, just three miles away.
“As we were all hugging as a family,” Bill told the news outlet, “we said, ‘This is for Patrick too. We are all hugging him too.'”
In their happiness, Bill toldESPNthey even thought about going to the tournament to celebrate, but they couldn’t find any badges.
“As parents, you want the best for your children no matter what they are doing,” Bill said, adding that he “desperately” wants the estrangement with his son to end. “You want them to succeed at the highest level, especially in Patrick’s case, because he’s always been a tireless worker. I have goosebumps just talking about it.”
But when asked about the absence of his family after winning the Masters, Reed simply brushed the question off, saying, “I’m just out here to play golf and try to win golf tournaments.”
source: people.com
