Patrick Reed shares memorable green jacket experiences

Patrick Reed will have to give back his green jacket this weekend unless he finds a way to become the fourth golfer to defend his Masters title.

The former Augusta State star embraced wearing the jacket during the past year, and he had some interesting experiences.

Most champions leave Augusta and head to New York for a media tour with appearances around the city and on TV shows, and Reed was no exception.

One day after winning the Masters, Reed and his wife Justine were sitting courtside at a New York Knicks basketball game.

“I had Chris Rock right next to us,” Reed said last month. “A couple seats down is 2 Chainz. He just kind of keeps looking down, and you can kind of tell he’s like, kind of looking down like, all right, this isn’t the normal guy that sits in these seats: who is that?

“And then when they announced me during one of the timeouts, then a couple minutes later there was a timeout and he just kind of reaches over, and he kind of touches the jacket, and he goes, ‘So that’s the real thing, huh?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, sir, yes, it is.’”

From golfers to rappers, almost everyone recognizes the green jacket and what it symbolizes.

“It’s pretty cool to see just kind of the wide variety of people no matter what their background is, no matter what their age is or anything, how many people recognize the green jacket,” Reed said. “You know, you have little kids coming up to me whenever I wear it out, and they’re just like, oh, it’s the green jacket. You know, and some of them play golf, some of them don’t, and I just think it’s such a cool thing how many people recognize what the green jacket is and what it actually stands for.”

Reed’s favorite moment with the green jacket came not long after he held off Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth for the victory.

“I went back to Butler Cabin and my daughter was there, and she just came over and gave me a big hug and told me I did it and told me she loved me,” Reed said. “That is by far the best experience I’ve ever had with the green jacket. That’s a memory and a moment that I’ll never forget.”