Patrick Reed plays the ugly duckling again and takes the opposite view from his compatriots about the Ryder Cup

As a preamble to the Qatar International Series and a few days after his victory in Hong Kong, Patrick Reed was invited to speak about the desire of his compatriots to be paid to defend the colors of the USA in the Ryder Cup.

This is not the first time, nor the last Patrick Reed makes a name for himself by standing out with a contrarian point of view.

A few days after his resounding success in the stage of International Series from Hong Kong, where he distinguished himself with a fantastic 59 during the 3rd round, the Texan firmly opposed the idea of ​​American players being paid to participate in the Ryder Cup.

I would love to be that scourge who always sows trouble among Europeans

The winner of the 2018 Masters, who answered questions from a Gulf News journalist, explained in particular that if the players were to receive money for defending the colors of the United States, the choices of “Captain Bradley” were inevitably going to have consequences. significant financial implications.

“It’s such a delicate subject. With six picks, if you finish in the top 12 and the captain decides to ignore you and pick someone else, not only can you not play, but you're also going to see $400,000 slip through your fingers .”

A perspective that the LIV player does not approve of, unlike most of his compatriots, Patrick Cantlay in mind. Indeed, according to an article in the Telegraph, several of them have expressed their desire to recover a share of the enormous sums of money that the PGA of America perceives and which serve to promote and develop golf.

“In the past when I played in the Ryder Cup, none of the players or caddies were ever sitting there discussing whether we were getting paid or not. None of us cared. All we cared about was playing the Ryder Cup, representing our country, going to play against Europe and hoping to bring the cup home or keep it.”

A position close to that of the Europeans Rory McIlroy et Shane Lowry who said they were even willing to pay to participate in this 97-year-old competition.

This competition is much more than a question of money. Like in the Olympics, and any time you can represent your country and try to win something for your country.

Reed, who took part in three Ryder Cups in his career (2014, 2016, 2018), was not called up by Steve Stricker in 2021 when he finished 11th in the qualifying points classification. He was also ignored by Zach Johnson in 2023 after committing to the LIV. But the patriotism of the man who earned the nickname “Captain America” is indisputable.

“This competition is much more than a question of money. Like in the Olympics, and any time you can represent your country and try to win something for your country. We don't need money to motivate us to go play the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup or the Olympics. You are playing for something much bigger. You play for your country, you play for your teammates.

Seduced by Keegan Bradley's speech which expressed a new position regarding the players of the dissident circuit financed by Saudi Arabia, Reed sees himself being part of the team in 2025 in Bethpage.

“Obviously, I would like to come back to this team. I would love to be that scourge who always sows trouble among Europeans.”

©getty SIMON BAKER / AFP / Getty