Reed was a singular target of the American team this year because of a rules violation last week in the Bahamas. He twice removed a clump of sand from behind his ball in a waste area at the Hero World Challenge. When he was shown the incident on video, Reed accepted the two-shot penalty.

«Riding on the cart, guy was about three feet from Patrick and said, `You [expletive] suck.’ I got off the cart and shoved him, said a couple things, probably a few expletives,» Karrain said in a statement to «Fore Play,» a podcast operated by Barstool Sports.

Karrain said security arrived and he left in the cart.

«I don’t think there’s one caddie I know that could blame me,» Karrain said. «Unless his bones break like Mr. Glass, the most harm done was a little spilled beer, which I’m more than happy to reimburse him for.»

Fans this week have called the former Masters champion such things as «Patrick Cheat» and poked fun at him, with one fan introducing him as «The Excavator» when he teed off for a practice round Tuesday.

Reed didn’t help his cause Friday when he made a birdie putt, cupped his ear and then pretended to use his putter as a shovel. He enjoys mixing it up with the gallery in these team competitions, but the rules violation in the Bahamas was blatant on the video and sensitive to players who hold the rules in high regard. Reed claimed his club was some eight inches behind the ball. Video did not indicate that.

Reed created the wrong kind of memories at the Ryder Cup last year when he did an interview with The New York Times right after the U.S. loss, criticizing Jim Furyk for sitting him out two matches and Jordan Spieth ending their partnership.

Woods, the U.S. captain at Royal Melbourne, used one of his four captain’s picks on Reed.

U.S. struggles, Internationals extend lead

The International team claimed two of the four four-ball matches against the United States, while halving another, to improve its lead to 9-5 at the conclusion of Day 3.

Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, United States, def. Marc Leishman and Haotong Li, International, 3 and 2.

Thomas gave the Americans the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5 second hole. Li was in the trees and chipped out to the fairway, but he played out of turn. He had to replay the shot, clipped a tree and effectively was out of the hole. It was Li’s first match of the week, and outside of a birdie on the par-3 third, he wasn’t much help. Fowler made birdie on No. 5 to regain the lead, and the Americans never gave it back. Thomas remained undefeated for the week.

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