'We're Sick And Tired Of Hearing About Money’ - Patrick Reed

Patrick Reed has said that there’s far more to his decision to sign up for the LIV Golf Invitational Series than money.

Speaking ahead of this week’s International Series Singapore event, which Reed will participate in, the American suggested that he and other LIV Golf players were tired of the subject of money cropping up. He said: “I can tell you this much: the guys who are out there, it doesn't matter what the dollar amount is - to be honest with you, as the players we're sick and tired of hearing about that - at the end of the day when you go out there, you're playing for something more than just yourself."

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Instead, the 2018 Masters champion said that growing the game is one of the biggest motivators in his move. To that end, as well as this week’s event, Reed will also play in the International Series Korea next week, and he thinks it's only a matter of time before others follow.

He said: "I think a lot more guys will start playing Asian Tour events. I know from personally talking to guys about trying to grow the game around the world, the only way to do that is by travelling the world and playing different tours and events and International Series. The only way to grow the game is to get outside and go places and I've always loved to travel and play, and to be able to play events like this is a treat for me. And the guys that are playing a wider schedule, they are going to come over and play events like this and I think that just helps all of us out."

Away from the International Series, Reed has teed it up in the last two LIV Golf Invitational Series events, and he says it’s not just the growth of the game that was pivotal in his decision sign-up to the Saudi-backed venture. He said: "I'll never forget the British Open. You can sit on the first tee and watch every single player. If you sat on the first tee and watch every single player take the first tee shot, you would be there from 6.35am to 4.15pm.

"There's a reason why the average age of the consumer who watches golf is 65. I mean, kids don't have that attention span. I don't even have that attention span to sit there that long! And so having a product like LIV - a game of 54 holes - means it's more of a sprint."

The International Series is funded by LIV Golf as part of a $300m investment in the Asian Tour over the next decade. Once Reed has completed his commitments in it, it is expected he will play in the fourth LIV Golf Invitational Series, which gets under way in Boston on 2 September. In the third tournament of the Series, Reed's team, 4 Aces GC, shared the $4m first prize, while the American finished 5th in the individual event for a $975,000 win.