Golf villain mocked by rivals over comical claim

Patrick Reed has triggered a mild social media meltdown after doubling down on comments made by a teammate comparing LIV Golf’s teams event to the Ryder Cup.

Speaking after winning the latest LIV Golf event at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Oregon, Reed’s teammate Talor Gooch suggested the atmosphere towards the end of the teams event was akin to that of a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup event – which he’s never played in.

“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,” he said in a post-match interview.

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“This was as cool as it gets. We’ve been saying it all week. The energy is just different, it’s awesome.”

Both Reed and Dustin Johnson’s immediate reactions were to laugh at the comment, but Reed, who has played in three Ryder Cups and three Presidents Cups, later backed them up in a separate interview.

“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,” he said.

That comment created quite a stir in the golf world.

A clutch 1up victory against Rory McIlroy in the 2016 Ryder Cup earned Reed the nickname “Captain America”.

This week, LIV Golf claimed another PGA scalp with Paul Casey taking the Saudi money.

The next LIV Golf event will be held at Trump National – because of course it will – in New Jersey at the end of July.

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