It took Patrick Reed almost no time to get a true feeling for what it is like to be a major champion. The night after he won the Masters, he was on celebrity row at a Knicks game, sitting near Chris Rock, Michael Strahan and the rapper 2 Chainz. At halftime, the latter reached over, touched the green jacket and asked Reed, "So, is this the real thing?"
"I was like, 'Yeah, it is.' He's like, 'That's cool,' " the golfer said.
Reed arrives at Shinnecock Hills this week with all intentions of proving he is the real thing, too. Obviously, he is the only one with a chance this year to win the single-season Grand Slam.
"The big thing is you have to go out there and work hard and not let up," he said. "Just because you've won the Masters doesn't mean you've made it and you're done. You've got to move forward. You do that, and none of this complacency will ever set in, and you're able to go out there and hopefully fulfill all of your dreams."
Such as?
"I've never won a U.S. Open," he said.
Given Long Island fans' history of going against the grain (adopting Phil Mickelson when he was an underdog), there is a chance Reed will be embraced more in Southampton than he was in Augusta, where most people cheered for anyone but the one who won.
He already has won over celebrity row at Madison Square Garden, having been pulled into selfies. "So now," the Masters champion said, "I have a picture of myself in the green jacket with 2 Chainz next to me."
