"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.

Ben Smith

02 Nov 2022

"Whipping boy" Patrick Reed files another defamation lawsuit against golf media — "Whipping boy" Patrick Reed files another defamation lawsuit against golf…

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.

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:

"Tortious interference over what he claims are 'malicious false publications, all of which were designed to severely harm Mr Reed, his family and colleagues personally and professionally.'"

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:

"My client, his family and colleagues have been made the whipping boy of cheap and dishonest journalists in the golf media, like Shane Ryan, who feed at the trough of the PGA Tour, a tour that historically mistreated Mr. Reed.

Indeed, my client's move to LIV Golf was primarily due to mistreatment, where adequate security was not provided at PGA Tour events, where hostile fans vilified and threatened Mr. Reed, his wife, caddie and coach, thanks to the rank defamation and other alleged illegal acts of defendants in these two recently filed lawsuits.

"Mr. Reed, on behalf of himself, his family and colleagues, simply will not take it anymore and he is fighting back in the courts to not just redeem his rightful reputation for honesty and superior golf achievements and successes, but also to protect his loved ones from the likes of Shane Ryan, Doug Ferguson and the rest of their sorry and pathetic lives spreading lies and false information about him.

"These types of journalists, publishers and networks give the good ones a bad name, by publishing and broadcasting false information to the masses for their own financial gain to generate readers, viewership, clicks, and for not other reason than to use Mr. Reed callously and cruelly as a tool to make money, no matter how harmful it has been to his career, his family, colleagues and his life.

"Let it be known that anyone who emulates Shane Ryan and the other defendants in these two lawsuits, in order to make a cheap profit and harm Mr. Reed, his family, and colleagues, will be held accountable under the law."

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.

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.