Patrick Reed: Masters victory would ‘validate’ LIV Golf
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed believes a LIV Golf player winning at Augusta National would give the rebel league a significant boost.
Reed will be one of 18 players from the Saudi-financed league in the Masters field, and one of six eligible to attend the Champions Dinner.
Along with Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith, Reed arguably represents one of LIV’s leading contenders at Augusta with his major winning credentials and former glory at the venue.
“At the end of the day, it’s one of those four events that are the hardest ones to win,” Reed said ahead of the third LIV Golf event of 2023 in Orlando.
“If you’re able to go out and win, it brings a boost not only to the league, to the team, but also to yourself going forward – it just shows and validates all the hard work that you’ve put into it to get to that point.
“Now it’s just not sharing it with yourself and your inner circle team, you get to share it with these guys out here.
“You get to share it with your team. I just think it’s huge for the morale around your team, especially if your team is playing well at that point.
“Just gives them a little bit more boost going forward and hopefully trickles down into the rest of the season.”
Reed’s former US Ryder Cup teammate and fellow PGA Tour member Brooks Koepka concurred – “Anytime you win the Masters or the Open, that’s usually a pretty big statement.”
The man once dubbed ‘Captain America’ has already visited Augusta this year with Dustin Johnson and Harold Varner III to prepare for the first men’s major this term.
Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, and Scottie Scheffler are just some of the other players to have completed an early scouting mission.
One objective of this was likely to discover the enlargement of hole 13, the par 5 which could now be a struggle for the players to reach in two shots.
Reed believes players will lay up more than usual, and perhaps this dramatic stretch of the famous venue mightn’t provide the same degree of tension it once did.
“DJ laid up both days. I laid up,” Reed added. “Tournament time I would have laid up, but since we’re out there seeing it, I of course went to send it.
“With adding that extra length, you can’t cut as much of that corner. You can’t get far enough down that left side that – I’ve always had where if it’s 4-iron, no, I can’t turn it around that corner. If it’s a 4-iron or less, I’ll send it, but after that, it’s a lay-up.
“It’ll take a little bit of the excitement out of that 13th, and then (hole) 15 being 550 yards. If it’s into the wind, guys aren’t going to hit 3-woods into that green because it’s hard to hold that thing, and long is so dead at tournament speed.”
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
