Patrick Reed hits out at US Ryder Cup players (and explains why he won’t be tuning in)
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Unable to don his Ryder Cup cape once more, Captain America Patrick Reed knows where his priorities lie…
It’s strange to think that Patrick Reed has only played in three Ryder Cups.
Such was his impact at Gleneagles in 2014 and Hazeltine in ‘16 – he contributed 25 percent of the US team’s total points tally over the two matches – he was granted the nickname Captain America from his fans.
Reed seemed destined to be a Ryder Cup fixture for many years. As it turned out, the 2018 defeat in Paris was his last – for now.
Next time out at Whistling Straits, Reed finished 11th in the qualification process and was the only player in the top 12 not taken to Wisconsin by Steve Stricker. A year later he joined LIV Golf and all but ended his Ryder Cup career.
That meant only his major form would put him in the running to make Keegan Bradley’s side at Bethpage, but after a promising top-three at Augusta, Reed’s missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and The Open, while a win at LIV Golf Dallas was not enough to catch the attention of the American captain.
“I knew it was going to be an outside shot just because of not being able to get points and things like that just [from] being on LIV,” Reed told reporters at the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, where he is competing this week.
“Honestly, I feel like the game’s been really good.”
Reed admitted it was a “slim chance” he would hear his name fall from Bradley’s mouth when he named his picks. Instead, the US skipper went with players who all finished inside the top 16 of the qualifying standings.
When asked if he will be tuning into the action, Reed said that even the Ryder Cup won’t be enough to get him to turn on the TV.
“I’ll definitely be rooting for the boys,” he said. “But I don’t watch golf at home. It’s one of those things.”
Explaining his stance, he added: “I play so much, so because I’m always out practicing and grinding, if I start watching golf, I start turning the mindset on to analyze and to do all that.”
Instead, Reed prefers to spend him with his wife, Justine, and their children, Windsor-Wells and Barrett.
“I realized that when I had my two little ones, there’s life outside of golf,” Reed continued. “So, when I’m not practicing or playing, I’m home being a dad, being a husband, being a father, and all that.
“I’m just having a good time, rather than trying to be so tuned in to golf and watching other golfers play.”
Reed was also critical of the US players who pushed to be paid to play in the Ryder Cup.
The 2023 matches in Rome were marred by an apparent revolt in the visiting team’s locker room over fees. That, it was reported, was led by Patrick Cantlay.
It led to the PGA of America upping the players’ stipend from $200,000 – all of which went to charity – to $500,000 – $300,000 of which must go to charity, with the remainder left for the golfer to do as he wishes.
But former Masters champion Reed said he “never played in that event and cared about playing it for money”.
“It was all about playing, representing my country and trying to win the cup,” he added. “It’s just like playing in the Olympics – once every four years and it just means something to go out there and play for your country. There’s no dollar amount that I would want to play in a Ryder Cup or play in an Olympics.
“I really think it is unnecessary. There are certain events that money means absolutely nothing and that’s one of them. If you’re going to give money to players, have it all go to their charity or something like that. Do something good with it.”
Patrick Reed’s Ryder Cup record
2014 (Gleneagles, Scotland)
Fourballs: 2-0-0
Foursomes: 0-0-1
Singles: 1-0-0
Total: 3-0-1
Points: 3.5
Result: Europe 16.5-11.5 USA
2016 (Hazeltine National, Minnesota)
Fourballs: 1-1-0
Foursomes: 1-0-1
Singles: 1-0-0
Total: 3-1-1
Points: 3.5
Result: USA 11-17 Europe
2018 (Le Golf National, France)
Fourballs: 0-2-0
Foursomes: 0-0-0
Singles: 1-0-0
Total: 1-2-0
Points: 1
Result: Europe 17.5-10.5 USA
Overall
Fourballs: 3-3-0
Foursomes: 1-0-2
Singles: 3-0-0
Total: 7-3-2
Points: 8
