Patrick Reed bemoans treatment after joining LIV Golf: ‘Slap in the face’

Patrick Reed must not be familiar with the phrase “play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”

The 32-year-old golfer, who recently left the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, bemoaned his alleged treatment on the DP World Tour (formerly the European tour) as a result of his decision to defect.

Reed is playing in the French Open this week as he attempts to accumulate world ranking points, but has made it clear that he has not been welcomed with open arms, claiming he was deliberately not invited to the event’s press conference and has been hidden in the pairings away from the marquee groups.

“It’s a slap in the face not to invite me to the press conference, or not to have me play the pro-am and all those things,” he told the French outlet Journal Du Golf.

“At the end of the day, it’s just my golf that I have control over. I’m here to support the Tour, France and all the people who are here. But I don’t see why we can’t move from the LIV to the European Tour like we usually move from the PGA Tour to the European Tour. A lot of players understand and support my choice and have nothing against me. I didn’t feel any animosity against me from them.”

LIV golfers have been excluded from the world rankings points system, so those who have defected have been playing in DP events – where they have not been officially banned, unlike the PGA Tour – to gain those points. Predictably, they have been met with drama at these events. At the BMW PGA Championship earlier this month, LIV golfers such as Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood were openly criticized for attending.

“Even though Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have been stalwarts for the European Tour, I don’t think those guys really should be here,” American Billy Horschel said at that event. “I honestly don’t think that the American guys who haven’t supported the PGA Tour should be here.”

Reed filed a defamation lawsuit against Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee, saying the analyst has tried to “destroy his reputation, create hate, and a hostile work environment.”

Reed, formerly known as “Captain America,” has been a stalwart at the Ryder and Presidents Cup, which begins this week, but is unable to participate this year due to his defection to LIV.