Patrick Reed believes it “unnecessary” that his fellow Americans will be paid for participation in the upcoming Ryder Cup. Reed, who has missed out on what would have been a fourth Ryder Cup appearance at Bethpage, also said Europe carry the advantage of having the more closely knit team.
US players plus their captain, Keegan Bradley, will be given $500,000 (£368,300) – $300,000 (£221,000) of which must be donated to charity – for taking on Luke Donald’s Europe. The remaining $200,000 (£147,320) has been labelled a stipend. The topic was largely lost in fevered discussion over whether or not Bradley would pick himself as a player but remains hugely significant. Europe’s contingent have always been adamant they will not seek monetary reward for Ryder Cup appearances.
Reed, once nicknamed Captain America for his theatrics in the Ryder Cup, falls on the side of the Europeans in this debate. “I never played in that event and cared about playing it for money,” said the former Masters champion. “It was all about playing, representing my country and trying to win the cup. It’s just like playing in the Olympics; once every four years and it just means something to go out there and play for your country. There’s no dollar amount that I would want to play in a Ryder Cup or play in an Olympics.
“I really think it is unnecessary. There are certain events that money means absolutely nothing and that’s one of them. If you’re going to give money to players, have it all go to their charity or something like that. Do something good with it.”
Reed was speaking after an opening round of 69 at Wentworth’s PGA Championship. On regular trips to this side of the Atlantic, he has observed the bond between European players.
“They’re all eating together,” Reed said. “The actual brotherhood and camaraderie out here, you don’t really have in the States. Here, you’re jumping country to country, not state to state. So travel just comes out that much harder.
“I feel like they play a lot of team golf over here, growing up and everything. We don’t, even though you’re playing high school, college, there’s not a lot of team format. It’s go out, play individual. You count four, five scores and you move on. That’s definitely an edge that they have over here, the camaraderie and the tightness of the group. But I feel like we’ve recognised that in the US, and we’re working on it.”
Matt Fitzpatrick benefited from children appearing to run off with a golf ball he had hit into the bushes. Photograph: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock
Tom Vaillant and Ludvig Åberg set the early pace in Surrey with eight-under par 64s. Thursday’s play was halted for 90 minutes in the early afternoon due to the threat of lightning. As the siren blew, Matt Fitzpatrick had just whacked his tee shot at the final hole into foliage. What happened next did the Englishman a favour.
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Fitzpatrick explained: “Dan, my caddie asked: ‘What happens if someone goes sniffing around in the bushes and finds your ball, and decides to pocket it?’ I thought that was a great point, because there had to be a good chance of that happening. So we called over a referee and explained the situation and asked whether we should look for the ball then, rather than risk it being taken.
“He took us over to the crowd where we reckoned my ball would have landed. A few people there said they’d seen two young boys dive into the bushes and come out grinning with a golf ball. So we decided the balance of probability was that it was my ball, and that I would take a drop in that spot when we got back.
“I made a six but if I’d had to play my provisional ball it could have been worse. So those two little thieves who made off with my ball probably saved me a shot.” Fitzpatrick signed for a 66. Rory McIlroy made a bogey at the last en route to a 69.
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