Patrick Reed - DP World Tour Treatment Like 'A Slap In The Face'

Patrick Reed has criticised his treatment by the DP World Tour as he tees it up at this week’s French Open.

The 2018 Masters champion is in the field at Le Golf National, but compared his treatment as a LIV Golf player to “a slap in the face”. Despite being arguably the biggest name in the field - Reed is the only Major champion playing this week - he was not asked to take part in a press conference, and he was not invited to take part in the Wednesday pro-am.

Per The Telegraph, he told Journal du Golf: "It's a slap in the face not to invite me to do a press conference here, or as happened in Wentworth, not to have me play the pro-am and all those things. At the end of the day, it's just my golf that I have control over. I'm here to support the Tour, France and all the people who are here. 

“But I don't see why we can't move from the LIV to the European Tour like we usually move from the PGA Tour to the European Tour. A lot of players understand and support my choice and have nothing against me. I didn't feel any animosity against me from them."

Reed signed with LIV ahead of the second event in Portland, and has been part of the winning 4 Aces GC team in each of the four events since, banking him $3million, while his individual performances have seen him win another $2.73million. While some LIV Golfers have suggested they chose to join Greg Norman’s rebels to play less golf, Reed has been busier than ever, playing LIV Boston and Chicago, with an appearance in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in between, before heading back to Europe to play in Paris this week.

LIV players are allowed to take part in DP World Tour events until February, when a full court ruling is due on the legality of preventing them taking part. Ahead of the BMW PGA Championship, Tour chief Keith Pelley said LIV players would not be in featured groups or required to play in the pro-am at Wentworth, something that looks to be a permanent decision given Reed’s treatment in Paris. 

Reed started the French Open well, and was up with the early leaders at three-under after 14 holes. That's where the wheels came off though, and he dropped five shots in the closing four holes, finishing double bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, to card an opening two-over par 73.