Tiger Woods pleads for Patrick Reed sympathy after 'cheating' scandal
United States captain Tiger Woods is refusing to be drawn on how much he will play Patrick Reed through the Presidents Cup after his recent cheating scandal.
He also defended Reed as a "great kid" who had a "tough upbringing".
Already a divisive figure in world golf, Reed is set to play the role of villain at Royal Melbourne this week after he was penalised for illegally improving his lie during the World Challenge in the Bahamas last week.
Woods says Reed is well supported by his team and expects the world No.12 to handle any extra pressure from the Internationals and from raucous local fans.
Patrick Reed Getty
Nicknamed "Captain America" for his success in the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup, Reed is a proven performer on the big stage - winning last year's Masters and runner-up at the 2017 PGA Championship.
Woods downplayed the cheating incident, saying he had spoken briefly with Reed about it and they had moved on.
"I think Pat will be fine," Woods said on Tuesday, before his team's first practice round.
"Pat is a great kid.
"He's handled a tough upbringing well and I just think that he's one of our best team players, and that's one of the reasons why all the guys wanted him on the team."
However, Woods deferred a question about how he plans to use Reed this week.
Players are required to play a minimum of two matches, which get underway with fourball contests on Thursday.
Those pairings will be announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Two of the International team's Australians, Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, both expected local fans at Royal Melbourne to give Reed a hard time.
A blunt Smith said he wanted the crowd to "give it" to the entire American team, which has dominated the biennial tournament since a tied result in 2003.
Tiger Woods, playing as part of the United States Team Getty
"I don't have any sympathy for anyone that cheats," Smith said during last week's Australian Open in Sydney.
Woods conceded Reed would be a target but he hoped the crowd was fair.
"I'm sure someone is going to say something out there," Woods said.
"But I think in general, all the times I've been to Australia and have played here the fans have been fantastic.
"They are going to come out and it's going to be bi-partisan, as it should be.
"They are going to root for the Internationals more so than us and there's nothing wrong with that."
