The controversial LIV Golf series found a new way to smack the sport’s purists across the face.
After the Four Aces team of Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez won a LIV Golf event Saturday, Gooch compared the feeling to two of the most sacred events in golf despite actually having no basis for the comparison.
“I haven’t played a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, but I can’t imagine there’s a whole hell of a lot of difference,” Gooch said in a post-match interview. “This was as cool as it gets. We’ve been saying it all week. The energy is just different, it’s awesome.”
The biennial Ryder Cup pits a team of golfers from the United States against a team from Europe. The Presidents Cup also is a team-format tournament held every other year, with the United States against an International Team made up of non-European countries.
Perhaps more surprising was that Reed, who earned the nickname “Captain America” for his clutch performances in three Ryder Cups and three Presidents Cups, doubled down on Gooch’s statement as he soaked in the energy from a big crowd at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland.
“It was unreal,” Reed said of support. “I might be moving to Portland sometime soon, so many fans on my side.”
Reed later continued, “Just seeing how electric and how pumped up all the guys were getting, it felt like I was playing a team event back in Ryder Cups, Presidents Cups and events like that where everyone is just all in.”
From left: Pat Perez, Talor Gooch, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed celebrate their team title at the LIV Golf event in Portland, Ore. on Saturday.Getty Images
Justin ThomasGetty Images Justin Thomas, a 15-time winner on the PGA Tour who has been part of two Ryder Cups and two Presidents Cup teams for the USA, reacted on Instagram to Gooch’s comments: “I’ve seen some funny stuff online, but this is one of the better ones.”
Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes wrote on Twitter, “I’ve had lots of LOL moments with LIV, but this is undisputed number one.”
There is plenty of bad blood between golfers on the two competing tours, but LIV remains in its infancy. While it has attracted star power with big pay checks, the PGA Tour still has the depth of talent. The rivalry is stoked almost every time a golfer opens his mouth.
