U.S. captain Jim Furyk said Tuesday it would be “great” if Patrick Reed were among the 12 best Americans for the Ryder Cup next year in Ireland, even though Reed criticized Furyk’s first captaincy after the 2018 loss in Paris.
Reed hasn’t been on a Ryder Cup team since those 2018 matches, another debacle for the U.S. team that ended with Reed telling The New York Times he should have been partners with Jordan Spieth and Furyk should not have benched him twice that week.
Reed, among the first to defect to LIV Golf in 2022, chose not to renew his LIV contract this year and leads the European tour points list, assuring him a return to the PGA Tour next year.
“We are going to put the best 12 guys, the best team of 12, on this team,” Furyk said from Adare Manor during a news conference with European captain Luke Donald to mark the matches being one year away. “If Patrick Reed is one of those, that’s great. It’s been a long time since he’s been in our team room.”
Steve Stricker left Reed off the team for the 2021 Ryder Cup the Americans won at Whistling Straits. He was not seriously considered for the Rome matches in 2023 or the Bethpage Black matches in 2025, even though he had top-5 finishes at the Masters both those years.