LIV's Patrick Reed makes stunning Masters claim: "Coincidental but planned!"

Patrick Reed has explained he is considering more legal action after LIV Golf players lost their arbitration case.

17 Apr 2023

LIV's Patrick Reed makes stunning Masters claim: "Coincidental but planned!" — LIV's Patrick Reed makes stunning Masters claim: "Coincidental but planned…

Patrick Reed believed the announcement LIV Golf players had lost their arbitration case against the DP World Tour was deliberately timed to coincide with the opening day of The Masters.

Reed was one of a number of players who were sanctioned by the European-based circuit last June when the breakaway tour kicked off their inaugural season and disrupted the status quo of men's professional golf.

Those fines - which were £100,000 - were upheld by Sports Resolutions, a UK-based arbitration panel made up of three retired judges.

Their decision after the five-day hearing in London in February was expected relatively swiftly, but in the end they came to their conclusion after two months.

News filtered through LIV players had lost before The Masters, then it was officially confirmed hours before the first groups teed off at Augusta.

Essentially, the decision means that the former European Tour has the right to sanction players who play in conflicting events without permission.

Reed told Tom Kershaw of The Times the announcement was 'coincidental' but 'planned', adding:

"I was surprised they chose to announce it on the first day of the Masters."

When asked if he was disappointed, Reed said that wasn't the right term. "We strongly feel that the Sports Resolutions ruling is wrong," he said.

LIV are reportedly still weighing up how to respond.

Reed - who attended the DP World Tour v LIV Golf hearing in person was asked if he would be considering further legal action.

LIV's Patrick Reed makes stunning Masters claim:

He said:

"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.”

DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley has not closed the door completely on the 'rebels', insisting they can return once they pay their fines.

The elephant in the room is the Ryder Cup. Pelley previously said of this:

"In order to qualify for the Ryder Cup, you have to be European and you have to be a member of the DP World Tour. If you are, and you qualify through one of the six spots, you'll be on the Ryder Cup, or if Luke Donald selects one of the six players.

"I think in terms of the first component of it, I think it will be more difficult for them depending on what other sanctions we impose on them to qualify for the Ryder Cup. But more importantly, the commitments that they have to play against events that are DP World Tour qualifying events will also make it more difficult for them to qualify.

"If they qualify for the Ryder Cup, then they can play on the Ryder Cup but I think it will be difficult for them to do so."

Of the future of LIV players and the potential of more sanctions, he also added:

"We wont look at one specific tournament or incident and say, because of that, we should do this. But we will look at each case individually at the same time.

"If they adhere to the consequences, if they pay the fines, if they live with the consequences for breaching that we impose on them in the future, then, yeah, we'll welcome them back. I have no problem with them playing at all.

"I'm disappointed obviously with some of their comments… but I do understand that they own equity in something, and the only way that that equity grows is at the detriment of the tour that they have been on and a part of for so long."

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