Tag: Patrick Reed

Brooks Koepka becomes LIV Golf’s first two-time winner with one-shot victory in Orlando

Koepka won last year’s LIV Golf Jeddah event after a playoff with former teammate Peter Uihlein in October.

Brooks Koepka is LIV Golf’s first two-time winner.

The four-time major champion held on for his second win since leaving the PGA Tour at LIV Golf Orlando on Sunday after shooting a 3-under 68 to finish at 15 under at Orange County National’s Crooked Cat.

Koepka won last year’s LIV Golf Jeddah event after a playoff with former teammate Peter Uihlein in October.

In his first year on the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Sebastian Munoz gave Koepka a run for his money with a final-round 5-under 66 but came up a shot shot at 14 under. Patrick Reed finished third at 13 under.

Koepka is among a total of 18 LIV players who will tee it up next week at the 2023 Masters. LIV Golf’s next event is in Adelaide, Australia, at The Grange Golf Club, April 21-23.

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‘No one is angry at anybody’: Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson don’t think Masters week will be awkward for LIV golfers

“I have nothing against anybody. If you change jobs, I’m not mad at you.”

Is the Masters going to be awkward for LIV golfers and PGA Tour players? Not so fast, says Bubba Watson and Brooks Koepka.

Speaking to media ahead of the LIV Golf League’s third event of the 2023 season in Orlando at Orange County National, Watson and Koepka were speaking, along with Patrick Reed, in advance of this week’s tournament, but a majority of the questions were focused on next week’s Masters.

Watson and Reed have each slid on green jackets at Augusta National while Koepka has collected four majors in his career. In recent weeks, there has been plenty of discussion about how LIV golfers would interact with those from the PGA Tour and whether it would be tense. However, Watson and Koepka said don’t expect anything to happen.

“I’m going to be honest, man. It’s only awkward in the media,” Watson said. “I’ve talked to people that are going to be there. I’m going to sign up with Jason Day and Cam Young in the par 3. Some guys have already asked me to play some practice rounds. Media is the only one that is pushing it. I have nothing against anybody. If you change jobs, I’m not mad at you. If you start reporting for somebody else, hey, man, it’s a better decision for you and your family.”

Added Koepka: “I think that’s one of the big things. Down in Jupiter, we see each other — I was just with Rory (McIlroy) and J.T. (Justin Thomas) yesterday, and I think Keegan (Bradley) was there. We see each other quite a bit. I mean, there’s a lot of conversations. I was talking with Rory for probably about 30 minutes just about the ball and all the other stuff that’s going on. No one is angry at anybody from what I’ve seen.”

The Masters will be the first time many golfers on the different tours have seen one another since The Open Championship last July. Some have played in DP World Tour events, like the Desert Dubai Classic where McIlroy topped Reed by one shot.

Although the players may not hold animosity, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf as leagues is a separate story. The two are in an ongoing legal battle in federal court.

Eleven LIV Golf players, including Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour in August of last year. Over the last six months, players have joined and dropped from the suit, and now just LIV Golf, DeChambeau, Matt Jones and Peter Uihlein remain.

Yet Watson and Koepka insist the players themselves don’t hold anything personal against others, even saying comments from players like McIlroy against LIV Golf aren’t surprising.

“(He’s) protecting his entity, man,” Watson said. “He’s protecting his business, which is fine.”

Aside from the aforementioned antitrust lawsuit, Reed has sued numerous media members and entities for defamation. There was also a case involving LIV Golf players and the DP World Tour that will clarify whether LIV players can play in DP World Tour events.

LIV Golf has long been criticized as a way for the Kingdom to sportswash its human rights record. Saudi Arabia has been accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses, including politically motivated killings, torture, forced disappearances and inhumane treatment of prisoners. And members of the royal family and Saudi government were accused of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.

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Just how far have LIV Golf players fallen in the Official World Golf Ranking?

We took a look at how each player on a LIV roster’s ranking has fallen since they joined the Saudi-backed league.

One of the biggest questions facing LIV Golf in 2023 was its status with the Official World Golf Ranking.

A player’s OWGR standing is key for access to the four major championships, and LIV Golf events currently do not receive OWGR points. The circuit applied in July of 2022 and is awaiting word as part of an application process that can take up to, and even more than, a year.

In December, the OWGR announced a Mexican golf tour with 54-hole events will start to receive OWGR points in 2023 after a 16-month process, and the tour’s inclusion of a 36-hole cut and open qualifying were noted in the release. While LIV events are still 54-holes without a cut, the league will implement a promotion and (somewhat) relegation element to fill out its teams for 2024, meaning a few spots will be available via qualifying.

Formats and criteria aside, LIV believes its events deserve points after the formation of its “strategic alliance” with the developmental MENA Tour in an attempt to force the OWGR’s hand.

Since they joined the upstart league led by Greg Norman and financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV players have been plummeting in the ranking, putting their major championship futures in jeopardy.

Here’s a look at the 48 players on a team roster in 2023 and how their OWGR has fallen since they joined LIV Golf.

LIV Golf OWGR movement

Player OWGR before first LIV event Current OWGR Change in ranking
Cameron Smith 2 5 -3
Dustin Johnson 15 62 -47
Joaquin Niemann 19 26 -7
Brooks Koepka 19 102 -83
Abraham Ancer 22 30 -8
Louis Oosthuizen 21 100 -79
Paul Casey 31 94 -63
Bryson DeChambeau 31 131 -100
Kevin Na 34 84 -50
Talor Gooch 35 49 -14
Thomas Pieters 35 42 -7
Jason Kokrak 36 74 -38
Patrick Reed 39 65 -26
Harold Varner III 46 51 -5
Mito Pereira 50 50 0
Cameron Tringale 55 86 -31
Sergio Garcia 57 144 -87
Dean Burmester 59 71 -12
Marc Leishman 62 95 -33
Richard Bland 67 107 -40
Matt Jones 69 129 -60
Phil Mickelson 72 352 -280
Scott Vincent 91 117 -26
Matthew Wolff 77 181 -104
Lee Westwood 78 267 -189
Bubba Watson 86 201 -115
Sam Horsfield 74 134 -60
Anirban Lahiri 92 99 -7
Ian Poulter 92 150 -58
Bernd Wiesberger 94 149 -55
Sebastian Munoz 98 106 -8
Brendan Steele 122 119 +3
Branden Grace 123 221 -98
Charl Schwartzel 126 197 -71
Carlos Ortiz 119 270 -151
Sihwan Kim 139 238 -99
Pat Perez 170 239 -69
Henrik Stenson 173 175 -2
Charles Howell 169 318 -149
Martin Kaymer 215 625 -410
Jediah Morgan 239 368 -129
Danny Lee 267 268 -1
Peter Uihlein 327 411 -84
Graeme McDowell 374 399 -25
Chase Koepka 1562 1331 +231
James Piot 1751 1155 +596
David Puig 1751 1057 +694
Eugenio Chacarra 1904 1732 +172

Of the 48 players on a roster this season, all but six have dropped in the ranking. After making their first LIV starts in Mexico last month, Mito Pereira’s ranking has yet to move, while fellow newcomer Brendan Steele rose three places. Further down the rankings, a trio of players in their second year of professional golf – Eugenio Chacarra (No. 1,732), James Piot (No. 1,155) and David Puig (No. 1,057) – have all risen more than 100 spots due to a small sample size of tournaments and a handful of starts on the Asian Tour. Chase Koepka struggled through his pro career pre-LIV, and has seen his ranking rise 231 spots but still finds himself No. 1,331.

Martin Kaymer has struggled with injuries over the last year and has seen the largest drop of 410 spots on the rankings and now sits No. 625. Phil Mickelson, the face of LIV Golf, has fallen 280 spots and is now No. 352.

Only six players are still inside the top 50: Cameron Smith (No. 5), Joaquin Niemann (No. 26), Abraham Ancer (No. 30), Thomas Pieters (No. 42), Talor Gooch (No. 49) and Mito Pereira (No. 50).

The LIV Golf League returns to action this week in Marana, Arizona, at the Gallery Golf Club with LIV Golf Tucson, the circuit’s first event in the United States this season.

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LIV Golf announces first global partner ahead of 2023 season opener in Mexico

The company has worked with Cam Smith in the past and currently sponsors Patrick Reed.

During the LIV Golf Team Championship last October, former COO Atul Khosla told reporters the goal for 2023 would be to commercialize the product.

Just days ahead of its second season debut in Mexico, the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced its first global partner.

EasyPost will be LIV’s official shipping solutions partner and will now be part of broadcasts, social content and tournament signage. The company, based in Lehi, Utah, was founded in 2012 and says it aims to provide solutions to global shipping challenges. Cam Smith has worked with EasyPost in the past and Patrick Reed is currently sponsored by the company.

“We are thrilled to sponsor LIV Golf in 2023,” said Sam Hancock, VP of Growth at EasyPost. “Their innovative approach to golf will bring the sport to a broader range of spectators, and that’s something we are excited to get behind. We share the same mission, to modernize and innovate in our respective fields.”

LIV Golf lawyers admitted to “virtually zero” revenue in 2022 in a recent court filing and the deal with EasyPost is a step towards getting out of the red after spending hundreds of millions (if not a billion) in year one.

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Listen: Will Max Homa win a major in 2023? Plus a preview of this week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Busy week in golf, and we cover it all here.

Max Homa and Rory McIlroy winning in the same week is about as good as it gets for a weekend of golf.

Homa claimed his fourth win in California and that got us thinking, what are his chances at this year’s U.S. Open being held at LA Country Club?

McIlroy’s win was his third Dubai Desert Classic, and he admitted it was a little sweeter than it probably should have been because of the other names at the top (cough cough, Patrick Reed).

We discuss both tournaments on this week’s episode of the Twilight 9 podcast, plus a preview of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, including picks for the event.

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Listen to the show wherever you get your podcast, click on the following links to subscribe for free or listen below.

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Patrick Reed calls incident with his golf ball and a tree at Dubai Desert Classic a ‘non-issue’

Patrick Reed took to Twitter to share his side.

Patrick Reed wants to get back to playing some golf. Incidents at the Dubai Desert Classic are keeping many focused on other things.

First, it was his tee situation with Rory McIlroy. Then there were questions surrounding his drop from a tee shot during the third round. He eventually finished a shot behind McIlroy during a Monday finish.

Reed hit a wayward drive on par-4 17th hole, and he said he was “100 percent certain” his ball had landed in a tree and got stuck. From there, he took a drop, scrambled for bogey, then made birdie on the par-5 18th to sign for a 3-under 69 to conclude his third round Sunday.

A golf coach shared video of the drive on Twitter, which called into question whether Reed identified the proper ball. If he wasn’t able to identify his ball in the tree and prove it was stuck, Reed would have been forced to walk back and play his third shot form the tee after taking a stroke-and-distance penalty.

Brandel Chamblee, who Reed is currently suing, also posted a video on Twitter describing the event.

Reed explained Sunday after the round that he would’ve gone back to the tee if he wasn’t 100 percent his ball was in the tree. Chamblee’s video made waves when it was posted Monday, prompting more discussion on whether Reed took an illegal drop.

Reed responded to the allegations on Tuesday, posting a statement on Twitter, saying the drop is a “non-issue.”

Almost two years ago to the day, Reed was the center of attention for a rules incident at the Farmers Insurance Open, which followed a two-stroke penalty at the 2019 Hero World Challenge.

Reed will be in action again this week at the PIF Saudi International in Saudi Arabia.

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Rory McIlroy beats Patrick Reed by one at Hero Dubai Desert Classic after ‘one of the toughest rounds I’ve ever had to play’

“I’m going to enjoy this. This is probably sweeter than it should be or needs to be,” said McIlroy.

The final round of the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic was a perfect encapsulation of the week that was at Emirates Golf Club: a battle between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed.

After an overblown incident on the range earlier in the week where Reed tossed a LIV Golf tee McIlroy’s way, the two found themselves in a duel down the stretch on Monday that lasted until the 72nd hole.

Reed began the day four shots behind McIlroy but got in the mix thanks to five birdies and an eagle over his first 13 holes. The American made a costly bogey on the par-4 16th but birdied the last to tie McIlroy, who was slow to start, at 18 under. McIlroy made par on his opening eight holes before adding birdies on Nos. 9, 10 and 13. The world No. 1’s lone blemish of the day came on No. 15, but McIlroy rebounded with two clutch birdies on his final two holes to secure the one-shot win at 19 under.

“I think mentally today was probably one of the toughest rounds I’ve ever had to play because it would be really easy to let your emotions get in the way and I just had to really concentrate on focusing on myself,” said McIlroy, who praised his mental strength. “Forget who was up there on the leaderboard, and I did that really, really well.”

“I’m going to enjoy this. This is probably sweeter than it should be or needs to be but I feel like I’ve still got some stuff to work on,” he added. “It’s a great start to the year and a really good foundation to work from.”

The win was McIlroy’s third Dubai Desert Classic title, but it also came with a few career firsts. Now a 15-time winner on the DP World Tour, this week’s victory was not only the first Rolex Series win for McIlroy, but the first time he’s ever won his opening tournament of a new year.

After turning professional in 2007, McIlroy was 0-16 with 12 top-five finishes in his first start of a new year.

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“Just ecstatic that I gave myself an opportunity the first week back out,” said McIlroy. “I definitely feel like there’s tons of room for improvement but it’s a great start to the year.”

McIlroy will tell you he hasn’t had his A-game in the bag by his standards, but the Northern Irishman entered the week on a hot run of form. Dating back to his Tour Championship win in October, McIlroy now hasn’t finished worse than T-4 over his last seven starts.

“I think again the most satisfying thing to me this week is I haven’t had my best, far from it and to be able to win when you don’t have your best, that’s the sort of like Holy Grail of what we are trying to do,” he said.

McIlroy shot rounds of 66-70-65-68 and made just five bogeys in Dubai. If more is to come for the reigning FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai champion, get ready for a wild 2023.

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Patrick Reed defends ruling after his ball got stuck in a tree in Dubai

At first it was a tee, now it’s a tree.

At first it was a tee, now it’s a tree.

It’s been a tough few days online for Patrick Reed. Social media erupted after he tossed a tee Rory McIlroy’s way on the driving range before this week’s DP World Tour stop at the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic. During Sunday’s third round – early-week weather has forced a Monday finish at Emirates Golf Club – Reed found himself in the spotlight once again after a wayward drive on par-4 17th hole.

Reed said he was “100 percent certain” his ball had landed in a tree and got stuck. From here he took a drop, scrambled for bogey, then made birdie on the par-5 18th to sign for a 3-under 69 to reach 11 under for the tournament, four shots off the leader McIlroy.

[the_huddle]

A golf coach shared video of the drive on Twitter, which called into question whether or not Reed identified the proper ball. If he wasn’t able to identify his ball in the tree and prove it was stuck, Reed would have been forced to walk back and play his third shot form the tee after taking a stroke-and-distance penalty.

“I would have gone back to the tee if I wasn’t 100 percent… I got lucky that we were able to look through the binoculars and you have to make sure it’s your ball and how I mark my golf balls is I always put an arrow on the end of my line, because the Pro VI the arrow on the end stop before it so you can see the arrow,” Reed explained to Telegraph Sport. “And you could definitely see and identify the line with the arrow on the end, and the rules official, luckily, was there to reconfirm and check it to make sure it was mine as well.”

“The only other time I’ve ever been in a tree was in Malaysia. Actually there’s a picture of (Sergio Garcia) and I underneath (caddie Kessler Karain). He’s up literally in the palm tree looking at my golf ball,” Reed added. “You know what, I hit that tee shot, I didn’t even see those palms. I felt like it was on a good line, just left of the green and I guess I just need to be a little more right or a little higher.”

Patrick Reed
Patrick Reed’s caddie climbs over a palm tree to recover the golf ball on the 10th hole during day 2 of the 2014 CIMB Classic at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on October 31, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images)

“During round three of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, two on-course referees and several marshals identified that Patrick Reed’s ball had become lodged in a specific tree following his tee shot on 17,” said the DP World Tour via a statement. “The DP World Tour chief referee joined the player in the area and asked him to identify his distinctive ball markings. Using binoculars, the chief referee was satisfied that a ball with those markings was lodged in the tree. The player subsequently took an unplayable penalty drop (Rule 19.2c) at the point directly below the ball on the ground. To clarify, the player was not asked to specify the tree but to identify his distinctive ball markings to confirm it was his ball.”

Almost two years ago to the day, Reed was the center of attention for a rules incident at the Farmers Insurance Open, which followed a two-stroke penalty at the 2019 Hero World Challenge.

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Drama in Dubai: Thomas Pieters tied for lead while LIV member and ex-European Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson paired with Luke Donald on Sunday

Things may get a bit awkward in Dubai.

Until the dispute between LIV Golf and the DP World Tour is settled in court, tension will riddle the range at most events throughout the season.

Exhibit A: Henrik Stenson, who lost his position as European Ryder Cup captain once he joined the Saudi-backed LIV Series, will be paired with Tyrrell Hatton, a Ryder Cup veteran, and Luke Donald, the man who replaced Stenson as captain, on Sunday for the third round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

All three players are 2 under through two days and eight back of Thomas Pieters, Richard Bland and Michael Thorbjornsen.

Dubai Desert Classic: Leaderboard, round three tee times

Thorbjornsen, a junior at Stanford and Massachusetts native, was a Golfweek 2022 All-American honorable mention. At the ’22 Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour, an event played down the road from where he grew up, Thorbjornsen finished solo fourth.

Rory McIlroy didn’t have his best stuff Saturday, making 15 pars, one birdie, one bogey and an eagle to post a day two 2-under 70. He’s tied for seventh, two back of the lead.

Patrick Reed, who’s been in headlines all week thanks to a viral moment with McIlroy, is also at 8 under. The old Ryder Cup rivals aren’t paired together for the third round.

A disappointment for most of the golf community.

Due to weather delays earlier in the week, play will conclude Monday in Dubai.

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Two LIV members tied for lead in Dubai, Rory McIlroy went nuts to finish first round and play will now conclude Monday due to weather delays

Playing his final three holes at 4 under? Just Rory McIlroy things.

Weather has wreaked havoc on the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour this week. On Thursday, play was delayed due to dangerous weather while Friday’s action couldn’t start on time due to course flooding.

The second round will conclude Saturday, while the third round will be played Sunday with the final round slated for Monday.

Richard Bland and Ian Poulter, both members of LIV Golf, are tied atop the leaderboard at 8 under. Bland was 3 under through four holes of his second round when the horn blew while Poulter was 1 under through three.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy was on the course early Friday to finish up his first round and he made the most of it.

He began by making a short-range birdie putt at the par-3 seventh, his 16th hole. Then he holed out an approach shot on the par-4 eighth for eagle. McIlroy finished his day by sticking a 159-yard shot to four feet on the ninth to play his final three holes 4 under.

Not bad.

With McIlroy at 6 under is Patrick Reed, who made headlines earlier this week after throwing a tee at the Northern Irishman. The two players have exchanged verbal blows for the past several days.

If there is a golf god, he’ll pair the two for a weekend dual.

Victor Perez, Lucas Herbert and Thomas Peters are 5 under, Tommy Fleetwood is 4 under and Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Ryan Fox are 3 under.

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