Wrote about Patrick Reed's gumption for my column. This is an appreciation of what I just experienced.
Spent the early afternoon following Reed and Spieth as they fell behind Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose, who played brilliantly after losing to Reed and Spieth in the morning.
Later in the afternoon, Jerry Zgoda and I went to the 16th green to see if J.B. Holmes and Ryan Moore could complete a late comeback against Sergio Garcia and Rafael Cabrera Bello. We stayed to see the end of the Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar match against Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters.
McIlroy closed out that match with a slippery eagle putt, then bowed in two directions before pumping his fist and screaming his new trademark slogan: ``Come on!"
The scene reminded me why I love world-class golf, and why Hazeltine is such an ideal place to hold a major event.
There may have been 30,000 people watching that final putt. The stands were filled, the areas near the green were packed, and the fairway was packed as far as I could see. There were a few people chanting attempted insults at McIlroy, but most of the fans were chanting either ``Ole" or ``USA" between shots.
The sun was shining, the trees were hinting at fall, and the Ryder Cup was being played at a great Minnesota course. It was quite a day.
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