LIV Golf star Patrick Reed has a new take on the ongoing Ryder Cup drama. With Team USA set to receive paychecks of $400,000 each for their participation, the former PGA Tour winner took a stand against the decision.
The Ryder Cup is considered to be one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments due to the lack of paychecks, which fuels the purest form of competition in the sport. According to the PGA of America, the twelve-member roster will split a massive $4.8 million pool equally.
Talking about this, Patrick Reed likened the Ryder Cup to the Olympics, stating that the competitors were driven by their desire to represent their country rather than money.
“Just like the Olympics, anytime you can go and represent your country and try and win something for your country — we’re all competitors out here. We don’t need money to drive us to go play the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup or Olympics. What drives us to play in those events is going out and playing for something way bigger than just yourself,” Reed told Gulf News
Patrick Reed has dubbed himself to be “Captain America” due to his pride in representing the United States of America. Not only did he talk about the tensions adding in a paycheck would bring, he also stated that players should be honored to represent their countries at this high of a level.
Reed said (via Gulf News):
“You’re playing for your country, you’re playing for your teammates, and so I don’t see any reason to sit there and play for anything besides the trophy and bringing it back for the red, white, and blue.”
Partick Reed has made 14 starts in the LIV Golf league this year. With 55.60 points earned throughout the year, he ranked 20th on the individual leaderboard.
The 4Aces GC star recorded his best finish of the season at the LIV Golf Invitational in Houston. Rounds of five under par, four under par, and four under par earned him a tied for third place finish with a total score of 13 under par.
