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Patrick Reed is Good for Golf: Prove Me Wrong

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Coach Sean said:
I can't say it is directly connected and it could be blamed on many things, but I have seen an uptick in juniors cheating over the past several years. The reason I am very adamant about Reed is that on two recent occasions while serving on the rules committee in a State Championship, we have had an issue with a golfer using a FW wood to improve his lie by crushing down the grass behind his ball, then switch to an iron (he was called on it, and the kid was in no way going to hit a fw from where he was) and the response was that he had seen PGA guys do it so he thought it was allowed (this is one move Reed likes to do). My main point is whether its a golfer or a baseball player who is playing loose and fast with the rules, and that athlete is having success, others will follow that lead to gain a perceived competitive advantage.

Reed has a long history of being a suspected thief and his cheating rumors go all the back to his college days,(not to mention he has also done what Speith had done with his ANti gay slur in China in 2017). and yet he has so much talent that he wins, and has been/is close again to a world top ten ranking. We get that these guys are human, but it is a constant issue with this guy. His dark cloud is not good for the game.
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Im not sure "constant issue" is really applicable for at most a handful of issues in 10 years on Tour.
By the logic above, Jon Rahm would be bad for golf, as would about a dozen other tour players.

FWIW, I am pretty sure you mean Justin Thomas. Who by many of these posts is absolutely bad for golf, which I also do not believe.
Or for the subject, we need 144 Scott Stallings out there (using random winner on the PGA Tour) who nobody notices as they just kind of blend in. :ROFLMAO:
 
It's not always bad to have someone to root against. However I hate that he's pretty much a lock for the Ryder Cup now.
 
JB said:
Im not sure "constant issue" is really applicable for at most a handful of issues in 10 years on Tour.
By the logic above, Jon Rahm would be bad for golf, as would about a dozen other tour players.

FWIW, I am pretty sure you mean Justin Thomas. Who by many of these posts is absolutely bad for golf, which I also do not believe.
Or for the subject, we need 144 Scott Stallings out there (using random winner on the PGA Tour) who nobody notices as they just kind of blend in. :ROFLMAO:
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Yes meant Justin Thomas..lol. I will concede in regards to watching golf yesterday, I did like rooting against him, otherwise it would of been a boring watch.
 
If Phil did it, I just turn and look thee other way, people just don't like Reed nor do they want to see him win, plain and simple!
 
I find it funny how people are blaming poor choices by young players on patrick reed. I'm gonna go with parents or maybe just the kid wanting to win at all cost.

Cheating or bending the rules is nothing new. Bonds, clemens, sosa...all the NFL players taking some type of ped...Lance Armstrong etc etc. Nothing new here
 
OITW said:
Basically an American Ian Poulter with more wins
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Never thought of it that way but yeah, gives us someone to root against, my only thought would be I didn't tune in a bunch to the final round yesterday because it was him in the mix and in the lead.
 
Video showed the ball took one hop and landed softly. How did the official conclude that the ball was embedded?
 
I think from an outside perspective, Reed is great for golf. However, i think most fans inside the game that follow it a ton, probably cant stand the guy. Hes obviously got talent and is good for tv.
 
AndyL0711 said:
I find it funny how people are blaming poor choices by young players on patrick reed. I'm gonna go with parents or maybe just the kid wanting to win at all cost.

Cheating or bending the rules is nothing new. Bonds, clemens, sosa...all the NFL players taking some type of ped...Lance Armstrong etc etc. Nothing new here
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I feel like this is the more interesting piece of the discussion than the usual "He's a douche!" "No he's not!" back and forth...

Why is bending the rules viewed the way it is in competitive golf as compared to football, basketball, etc?

People break the rules in football on every play. Sometimes there's a penalty, sometimes not. Same with hoops... the refs could call traveling on just about every play.

I suppose the lack of an official over the golfer's shoulder and the reliance on personal integrity is the thing here.
 
I believe when we call golf, a 'gentleman's sport' it is that. It is a training ground on how to handle ourselves when diverse situations arise. Temptations to 'bend' the rules present themselves in every round. It is decision time... to do what's right, or be disobedient to the rules. When we don't call and point out infractions (of other's and our own) we are not 'building' character, but just the opposite. And this falls over into our lifestyle of creating 'gray' areas of dishonesty and disobedience. We all have been partnered with many types of people; those who cheat constantly, some who bend the rules alittle, and those who are very strict and obedient upon themselves. WE all need to examine our golf ethics. and make a decision, upon how we want to play the game of golf, and realize that same style will carry over to our reputation and our 'game of life'.
 
Reed is bad for the game because he is a cheat, setting a standard below what we would want young players to follow.

Poulter has never been accused of cheating, so comparisons are unfair on Poulter. There is another young Englishman rising up the rankings with a reputation for Reed like attitude to the rules.

BTW Reed has never won on the European Tour, the three wins are WGC*2 and Masters which count on both Tours.

Here is another take

Patrick Reed scrutinised more than Rory McIlroy over drop because of reputation - BBC Sport
 
JB said:
How? If more eyeballs are paying attention and as has been mentioned, he isn’t the first to break the rules including the greatest of this generation.
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That's actually quite a depressing statement. There's no honour in golf at the highest level it seems.
 
Leftyuk said:
Reed is bad for the game because he is a cheat, setting a standard below what we would want young players to follow.

Poulter has never been accused of cheating, so comparisons are unfair on Poulter. There is another young Englishman rising up the rankings with a reputation for Reed like attitude to the rules.
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If it is repetitive, they are bad for the game? So Jon Rahm is bad for golf. He has been accused of cheating and caught more than once.
 
JB said:
Im not sure "constant issue" is really applicable for at most a handful of issues in 10 years on Tour.
By the logic above, Jon Rahm would be bad for golf, as would about a dozen other tour players.

FWIW, I am pretty sure you mean Justin Thomas. Who by many of these posts is absolutely bad for golf, which I also do not believe.
Or for the subject, we need 144 Scott Stallings out there (using random winner on the PGA Tour) who nobody notices as they just kind of blend in. :ROFLMAO:
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For that matter, we can't even use Scott Stallings!!!

www.cbssports.com

Scott Stallings suspended by PGA Tour for using PEDs

Scott Stallings becomes the third player suspended by the PGA Tour for using performance-enhancing drugs.
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

What is this world coming to that we can't find a single perfect golfer????? :LOL:
 
I'm just thinking if there is any proof, from 1920s to the present, that all the great golfers during that time, never knowingly skirted a rule here, or there, at least once in their careers.

How many "unknowingly" skirted a rule, or two? Cheating is cheating right? Even if the dastardly deed is not readily known, right?

Ignorance of the rules is no excuse either. We've all heard about the arm chair, tv watching, couch potato calling in a breech of the rules. Some even resulting in a DQ. Those golfers cheated, and were caught.

VJ was accused of cheating early in his career. He helped grow the game, even if in a smallish way.

How many high profile players in a sport, have used their status in their sport to sway an official into a called, or non call rules breech?

Every pro sport is going to have their "bad" boy(s)/girl(s) . As bad as it sounds, with the monies involved in sports, cheating could be just a latent part of the game.

It's conceivable that Reed's cheating is a big event only because he's other wise a successful, high profile player.
 
P. Reed is a guy I can take or leave. I don't think that he gets a fair shake sometime, but I understand why as well. I will echo what others have said. He may not be very likeable at times (okay, most the time) and he certainly plays the villain role well, but he is stirs the pot even if it is unintentional. Golf needs someone to root against and get the blood going. So yeah, I think he is good for golf.
 
Along the lines of "Don King was good for boxing" or "Lance Armstrong was good for cycling", maybe I'd agree with you...

But day in and day out, I hope he goes the way of a Chip Beck or Tommy Tolles and just fades away.
 
I probably won't change your mind, but as an example, I grew up when pro tennis was a gentlemen's sport, Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe et.al. but when the young punks came in like Connors and McEnroe and grunting females, I just got completely turned off and haven't watched since. I have always felt the game of golf was a sort of last bastion of honor and gentlemanly behavior and when I see that spoiled, it turns me away and I imagine it does the same for others of my era. I have no desire to ever watch Reed swing a club on television based on his history going back to his college days.
 
I don't think he is good or bad for golf he is just there. Reed doesn't draw eyeballs to golf. Only current golf fans have an opinion about him. Reed is controversial and I think he cheats but that is just my opinion. However outside of golfers who already watch golf he doesn't have an impact. To me that doesn't necessarily make him good for golf and it doesn't make him bad for golf it just spurs some dialogue among golfers.
 
Reed is good for the game.
When a golfer is on the field of play....If he cheats or is perceived as a cheat, he shall rot in hell. As a golfer off the field of play. If you cheat at marriage 1000 times, we will look the other way and still love you. Golf endeavors to speak of honor and integrity. Those virtues need to hold true 24/7 not just while you are playing 18. We must always remember we are human/they are human. We make mistakes. Atone for them and move on.
 
Agreed. He’s a turd, but people like to root against people too....
 
Brandel pointed out Sunday evening the difference between following the law and morality. We all wonder what he was doing with those two fingers shoved in the ground for 10 seconds when it took the rules official 2 seconds. My concern is either lying or misrepresenting what the volunteer said. He also claims he didn't pay attention to social media when his account tweets out a comment. He may not have broken a rule (what would the official say if he said "the volunteer said it mightve bounced") but morally he is suspect. His press conference was robotic speaking of resiliency and brushing off the incident as he turned 50 shades of red. Hot take of the day: if you have guts, ban him from international competition. I am American. I am a patriot. I will root for every American golfer and the team at Whistling but I will whole heartedly support whatever Euro golfer is playing against Patrick Reed. He is a poor role model and poor sport.
 
I agree that he is good for the business of golf. I couldn't tell you who won any of the last 4 tournaments but I know that Patrick Reed won last week. Bad press is better than no press. I'm sure some people who would just normally skip over golf click it on in hopes of catching this cheater in the act if they seethat heis golfing that week.
 
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