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Say what you like about Patrick Reed, he’s still just desperate to play golf.
A member of both the DP World Tour and Asian Tours, the LIV player is still spending his life globetrotting across three different circuits while suspended from the PGA Tour.
This week, Reed has flown across the world once more to begin another hectic season at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where he is one of six LIV players in the field.
We caught up with the former Masters champion after his first round here at the Emirates Club to discuss some topics dominating the agenda right now.
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Greg Norman is leaving his role as LIV CEO and being replaced by Scott O’Neil. What are your thoughts on that?
I am really excited by the new CEO we have coming in. I think he will be amazing for the league. For me it has always great having Greg. He is a strong personality and I feel like when we started with LIV you needed a strong personality and someone that can take some shots on the chin and he has done that.
That was always his vision in the beginning, and for him to be able to go and do it has been great. I think the coolest thing about LIV is that it is different. LIV is totally different to the DP and PGA Tours. We don’t need tours that are the same.
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The average viewer in golf is too old and I feel we need to get the younger generation involved and with LIV that is our goal. We show a faster pace, a different side of golf, a team aspect and because of that I think we are able to help grow the game.
Have the LIV players met the new boss yet and, if so, what did he have to say?
I met him for the first time a week and a half ago in Florida and he seems amazing. He’s very enthusiastic and ready to go. His vision is amazing and I feel like he is truly there to see us succeed and figure out a way to make it all work. That is the biggest thing. This division in golf needs to somehow come together. I’m not saying that everyone needs to merge and be one, but everyone needs to coexist and live together.
Lets be honest in this day and age, anytime change happens the automatic response from everybody is no. Now I feel like we have been around a little bit some people have realised that this is actually good for the game of golf. We just need to get the egos set aside and allow the players to do their job.
So, what’s the perfect solution to all this division?
The perfect scenario for me is that if a guy has earned as spot – I don’t care what tour it is – if they’ve earned their right to play, you should have the opportunity. If you meet the minimum and you play well enough to keep your card you deserve to be out there playing. Let’s use Peter Uihlein and Brooks Koepka for example. The first tour they played on was the European Tour. They say your home tour is the tour you live in that but they lived in the States – there’s no such thing as the home tour. The tour is whatever tour you’re on that you support. That’s your home. Every time I come over they treat me as family. I feel like this is home. I feel the same way on LIV and when I was on the PGA Tour.
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They shouldn’t be sitting here holding guys out for playing certain events because of what tour they play on. You earned your right to play somewhere, now if you don’t play the minimum, hit them hard. Hit them with huge fines and suspensions. But at least give us the opportunity. If you want the top players to play together, you’ve got to allow the guys on whatever tour it is. If you’re good enough and you want to play a heavy enough schedule to play on all of them, more power to you.
Surely a week like this with plenty of big names coming together shows the blueprint?
I feel like the relationships never really changed. There were a few guys who stood strong on certain things, but there are some guys I haven’t seen on the PGA Tour in a while and we sit and talk. I hate speaking for somebody else but you could say the same thing for Jon [Rahm]. They are not treating us any different. The players are glad to see the top players play and come back and support this tour.
There’s been a lot of talk about whether the DP World Tour should merge with LIV to create one global tour. Would you like to see that happen?
I’d love them to be together. I’m a member over here. It would make my life a lot easier! It’s one of those things that it’s hard for me to comment too much because I’m not the one sitting in those rooms, making those decisions. I don’t know all the fine details but it would make sense.
Would you ever like to go back and play on the PGA Tour?
It depends. There’s events you miss playing. Their minimum is 15 events. If I had the opportunity – just like I did when I came over here and played at Wentworth during Covid, and all the other guys that were staples of this Tour that stayed home in the US like ‘I’ve got Covid, I can’t come over’.
There’s a reason why I flew over and played. To show those guys and other people that, hey, it’s their flagship event. If you’re part of that tour you should support them. Some of those guys have enough money to get private jets and fly all around the world.
If I had the opportunity, if they came up to me and said you’ve got a PGA Tour card and you can play on any tour, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw me meet the minimum number of events on every tour.
How problematic are the fines and suspensions you keep incurring for playing out here?
It cuts into you being able to meet the minimum (quota). I got stuck last year not being able to meet the minimums. It’s why I’m here playing early before LIV starts. I’m trying to get them in. I hope that they allow me to come over and play. I’ve never been a guy that’s wanted to play the minimum. Being a part of LIV, I plan on being over here more, whether it’s the bigger or smaller events, it’s all about showing support. My whole thing is to come over and play as much as I can.
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