Patrick Reed: After Ryder Cup, Maybe He Is 1 of the Top 5 Players

Everyone smirked when Patrick Reed brashly announced on NBC TV last winter before winning the WGC Cadillac Championship that he was a top five player.  After watching the Ryder Cup matches, it doesn't sound so much like bragging.  He might be right. 

So that begs the question:  Just what is it we are looking for in professional golfers?  Do we want guys who are so mellowed out that you can't find a pulse?  Or do we want to watch somebody with fire?

If Tiger Woods is any standard, and let's face it, he is, then the general public wants somebody who really gets into his own good play.  A bit of a firebrand.  Somebody who isn't afraid of the fist pump when he goes up on an opponent.  Somebody who wants it badly and doesn't mind letting us know.  Somebody who isn't afraid to stick it to the competition.  Patrick Reed is all of that and more. 

Coming out of the great Texas tradition of tough-to-play-against golfers like Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Jimmy Demaret, Reed has shown no fear at any level.  He might get nervous, but he doesn't act nervous or play nervous.   

So maybe we need to revisit what Reed said this season after his first three wins and pay a little more attention to the guy who has the guts to wear red on Sunday.  Whether you like Reed or not, he was on fire at the Ryder Cup.  If the U.S. team had another four of him, the outcome would have been different.

Reed Likes Red:  It's no secret Reed admires Woods' record.  He said that whenever Woods is in the field of a tournament, the players all look to see where his name is on the leaderboard because, until his injuries began to multiply, Woods was always the one to beat.

"The best player ever to live when I was growing up wore black pants, a red shirt," Reed said earlier in the year.  "I was growing up watching him, I always thought, you know, it would be cool to wear black and red come down Sunday."

The colors worked for him when he played junior golf, and if he could have worn them playing NCAAs he would have. 

"Obviously there's something behind it," he said, believing in the superstition of the red and black. 

Reed Likes Ws:  Reed is a battler.  He really likes to win.  To prove toughness he likes to cite his NCAA match-play record of 6-0, although he does not mention losing to Danny Lee at the U.S. Amateur.  However, he can now add a Ryder Cup record of 3-0-1, which is a level significantly above the U.S. Amateur.

In his first full season on the PGA Tour as a card-carrying member Reed captured the Wyndham in a playoff against his recent Ryder Cup partner, Jordan Spieth.  He went on to win two more times before the end of March 2014.

He went low at the Humana Challenge with three 63s.  He carded 17 birdies and an eagle in the first two rounds.

Reed's victory at Doral in the WGC-Cadillac Championship was his third, and he beat all the top players in the world there.  What is amazing about it is that it was Reed's first look at what has become a very difficult golf course.

"To do it three times and as fast as I have, it's one of those things that I can't wait to get back out and play, try to get my fourth," he said after victory No. 3.

Reed's Team Is All About Family: His wife, Justine Reed, was his caddie until pregnancy got in the way.  Who should step up to fill in?  Her 24-year-old brother, Kessler Karain.  How many more relatives will we see in the months ahead?  

Reed at Ryder Cup: With Jordan Spieth as his partner in foursomes and fourballs, he and Spieth defeated Stephen Gallacher and Ian Poulter and Thomas Bjorn and Martin Kaymer.  They had a half point against Martin Kaymer and Justin Rose.  Then, Reed won his singles match against Henrik Stenson.  Total:  Three points won, none lost, one halved.  He and Spieth were the bright spots of the U.S. side along with Phil Mickelson.

With the start of the 2015 schedule this week, Reed heads into it knowing he's one of a handful of multiple winners last season.  

He joins Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer, Billy Horschel, Jimmy Walker and Chris Kirk as players who took a bow in the victory circle more than once—not bad for a guy who just finished his second full season on the PGA Tour.  Maybe we better get used to seeing his name on leaderboards.

Kathy Bissell is a Golf Writer for Bleacher Report.  Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials from the USGA, PGA Tour, R&A or PGA of America.