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While discussion of Reed's troubled family background dominated the post-Augusta headlines, another nugget surfaced when he did the US talk show rounds clad in his new green jacket.
The 27-year-old, whose gutsy triumph yielded his first major title, revealed his greatest win had been achieved with a handpicked set of clubs.
Unlike the vast majority of his leading rivals, Reed played with a mixed collection rather than a uniform set prescribed by a lucrative deal with a leading manufacturer.
"The biggest thing was I wanted to be different," Reed told the business network CNBC when asked about leaving his club deal at the end of last season.
"It's hard to believe there is one company that makes 14 perfect golf clubs and a perfect golf ball for every player."
There are not many leading pros who would publicly say such a thing.
Taken at face value, this suggests the most unusual aspect surrounding Reed is not the fact he does not talk to his parents, but that he is a professional golfer prepared to eschew huge riches from an all-encompassing equipment contract.
Patrick Reed talks with his caddie Kessler Karain on the first hole during the final round of the 2018 Masters
Reed's caddie Kessler Karain carries a carefully selected bag of clubs for his man
For his Masters breakthrough the American had Ping, Titleist and Callaway gear in his bag as well as Artisan wedges. It was a bespoke assembly aimed at maximising his comfort around Augusta National.
"This has freed me up," Reed added. "On the equipment side, I'm just out there doing my thing. I'm using whatever I want to use.
"I'm able to put 14 golf clubs and a golf ball in the bag that I feel are the perfect fit for me. To do that and come out with my first major, it was a risk. But it was a risk that was the right one."
It is a refreshing approach, a break from the commercial normality of the professional game. For fans, it is surely more authentic to know a player is using a certain club or ball because they like it rather than for vast financial gain.
The elite players receive millions to play exclusively with the clubs and balls of a certain manufacturer and to then tell us they are competing with the best equipment they have ever used.
Others may have deals where the majority of their bag is from one firm and they supplement it with drivers or putters of their choice. It is not unknown for the headcover of the sponsoring manufacturer being disingenuously used to conceal a driver from a rival company.
(BBC)
