Patrick Reed’s caddie not allowed at singles after altercation with fan at Presidents Cup

Patrick Reed’s caddie and brother in law Kessler Karain involved in altercation with fan, is not allowed to caddie during Sunday singles 

Patrick Reed’s week has just been shrouded in even more controversy after his caddie Kessler Karain, who is also his brother-in-law, got in to an alteraction with a fan during the third day of the Presidents Cup.

Rumours began to circulate of the incident, and Golf Channel’s Steve Sands soon reported something had happened with a spectator during Reed and Simpson’s fourballs loss to C.T Pan and Hideki Matsuyama, but did not go in to detail about what happened. 

Karain then reportedly sent a statement to Barstool’s Fore Play Podcast and ESPN, confirming shoved a spectator who took it too far and swore at Reed. 

“As a caddy one of your jobs is to protect your player. And unlike several other sports, in golf fans can get pretty close to Athletes,” Karain said in a statement.

“We have been known for having fun with some good banter, but after hearing several fans in Australia for 3 days some had taken it too far, I had enough. And this gentleman was one of them.

“Riding on the cart, guy was about 3 feet from Patrick and said “you f***ing suck”. I got off the cart and shoved him, said a couple things, probably a few expletives. Security came and I got back in cart and left. I don’t think there’s one caddy I know that could blame me.

Karain added “the most harm done was a little spilled beer, which I’m more than happy to reimburse him for.”

Karain then met with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to discuss what happened, and was ultimately told he could not come back and caddie for Reed during Sunday’s singles matches.

A PGA Tour statement read: “Following an incident that took place on Saturday at the Presidents Cup involving Kessler Karain and a spectator, Karain will not return to caddie for Sunday’s final-round singles matches.

In response, Reed said: “I respect the tour’s decision. We are all focused on winning the Presidents Cup tomorrow.”

This all comes on the back of Reed’s two shot penalty at last week’s Hero World Challenge, where a camera caught him improving his lie in a bunker. International player Marc Leishman had said the Presidents Cup fans would use it as ‘ammo’, and Cameron Smith stated he had no ‘sympathy for anyone that cheats’.

The fallout has certainly given the Australian fans more reason that normal to heckle Captain America, evident by one fan asking “you gonna make your caddie carry 14 clubs and a shovel?” during the first day of play. 

He didn’t respond to that one, but clearly it played on his mind, as after someone shouted ‘miss’ at him before his putt found the bottom of the cup on Friday, he signalled ‘I can’t hear you’, before switching up his signature ‘shh’ response to the crowd by miming the using a shovel as his celebration.