On the first day of The Masters, it was confirmed that the DP World Tour had won February's arbitration hearing against a number of its members who play in the LIV Golf League, with Sport Resolutions announcing it has upheld the DP World Tour’s conflicting tournament release regulation and its ability to sanction members who breached it.
Since the announcement, not many players have reacted to the news, that is until now, with Patrick Reed telling The Times that the timing of the statement was “coincidental but planned”.
Reed, who was one of the LIV players to receive a huge boost in the World Rankings following his T4 finish at Augusta National, went on to add: “I was surprised they chose to announce it on the first day of the Masters,” before then stating that he was "disappointed" and that "we (LIV players) strongly feel that the Sport Resolutions' ruling is wrong.”
In 2019, Reed was awarded honorary membership to the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour but, just four years later, the American was attending the hearing in London to testify in person.
Asked if he is considering entering another legal battle, the 32-year-old simply replied: “Yes, I am. I will always and have always planned to play as a proud member of the DP World Tour. Currently, I would be in or around the top eight in the Race to Dubai rankings — if my name was included on this season’s published list.”
Back in March, Reed was reportedly one of the LIV players to be denied a chance to play in the WGC-Match Play, with it reported by Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig that several players from the circuit tried to enter the tournament at Austin Country Club before being denied entry by the PGA Tour.
One last talking point is around the allocation of World Ranking points, something which LIV Golf are still without as it moves deeper into its second season. Many, including LIV's CEO, Greg Norman, have slated the OWGR board, with Norman telling them to "grow up" back in October.
Reed is another player who has also called out the OWGR, with the American stating in his interview with The Times that: “The system (points being awarded) is designed for one tour only: the PGA Tour.”
