"Whipping boy" Patrick Reed files another defamation lawsuit against golf media
LIV Golf's Patrick Reed has filed another defamation lawsuit against members of the golf media, this time wanting $250m in damages.
LIV Golf's Patrick Reed has filed another defamation lawsuit against members of the golf media, this time wanting $250m in damages.
Reed is already involved in a $750m lawsuit against the Golf Channel and prominent LIV Golf critic Brandel Chamblee.
As well as Chamblee that lawsuit involves Golf Channel broadcasters Shane Bacon, Damon Hack and Eamon Lynch, as well as their media companies Golfweek and Gannett.
Related: Reed-linked account revisits his "cheating"
This new action, announced by Reed's attorney Larry Klayman on Wednesday, is brought against the golf writer Shane Ryan, Hachette, the New York Post, Fox Sports, Doug Ferguson and the Associated Press.
The 32-year-old, who won the Masters in 2018, is suing for:
You can read the court documents here
Klayman has released a statement, in which he claims that in particular Ryan is "pathologically obsessed" with harming Reed and his family.
He said:
Reed was one of several high-profile players who resigned their PGA Tour memberships to join LIV Golf.
LIV Golf have now completed their inaugural $255m season and Reed was part of Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces GC side.
The 4 Aces GC simply dominated the team element of the breakaway tour in 2022, winning five events.
They won the LIV Golf team championship in Miami with Reed, Johnson, Pat Perez and Talor Gooch splitting the $16m top prize.
Related: Nine players who changed their mind about LIV Golf
Despite this, Johnson has already axed Gooch from his side. In 2023, LIV will rebrand to the LIV Golf League, hosting as many as 14 events globally with prize purses of $25m.
Reed has not yet tasted victory on the LIV Golf circuit. He has won nine times on the PGA Tour.
One of those victories was marred in controversy. In 2021 he won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines by five strokes but turned heads in the third round when he picked up his golf ball at the par-4 10th hole.
Reed did not wait for a rules official to see if his ball was embedded. He was awarded a free drop and saved his par.
The American was also accused of cheating during Tiger Woods' Hero World Challenge.
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