"Great merger, huh?!" Patrick Reed with explosive (!) comments at The Open

Patrick Reed has revealed he was fined by the European DP World Tour the morning after the PGA Tour announced an agreement with LIV Golf's backers. 

"Great merger, huh?" Reed said to a pool of reporters after his first round at the 2023 Open Championship. 

It was a frustrating round at Royal Liverpool, he said, but probably not nearly as frustrating as reading the email that hit his inbox from DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley in the hours after the gobsmacking agreement was announced on 6 June. 

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"You hear one day it's a merger, the next day you hear it's not a merger, the next day you hear it's a collaboration, then you hear everyone is working in parallel, then you hear this ends the lawsuits," Reed said after his opening 70.  

He continued: 

"People say you can't make your cake and eat it" 

Reed was asked if he would like to continue playing on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour in the future. 

The 32-year-old is an honorary member of the DP World Tour and has always stated he would continue to play there. 

And he contends that he would've played the minimum number of PGA Tour events to keep his card. 

Reed explained: 

Reed said he doesn't expect handouts in the form of sponsor exemptions. "None of us do," he said. 

"It's a little much"

Reed said he did not watch the US Senate hearing in which two high-ranking PGA Tour execs, Jimmy Dunne and Ron Price, were grilled by lawmakers about the 'agreement to have an agreement' between the parties involved. 

The American said it was 'very strange' to see members of the golf world in a Senate hearing. 

"To sit there and think that you're going to have a hearing about a sport, about golf, is just like -- it's a little much," he said. "But I get it." 

Reed said once we've heard from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan  'we'll be able to know what's going on'. 

His job is just to play golf and entertain people, he said. 

Patrick Reed chuckles as he says he was fined by the DP World Tour the morning after the PIF/PGA Tour merger was announced.



“Great merger, huh?” pic.twitter.com/ZP3AmDEX0b

— James Colgan (@jamescolgan26) July 20, 2023

With that in mind, his focus is on the Ryder Cup. He told reporters he has spoken to U.S. Captain Zach Johnson.

Reed said the world ranking situation is 'messed up as everyone knows'. 

He said: "Playing good golf takes care of everything. Takes care of these events, the majors, takes care of the Ryder Cups and all that. Just going and playing your way on, but playing well.

"Yeah, the guys that are part of LIV of course we're [behind] the 8-ball with that because of course we only have four tournaments that count. All we can do is continue playing solid golf and give yourself chances because winning trophies takes care of that."

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