To be a villain, you have to be a better villain. And that’s a role that Patrick Reed has seemingly very happily accepted. It all began in 2015 when his controversial collegiate career saw the daylight. Reed, back in University of Georgia, Athens, got into the negative spotlight when he came to the green after having done under-age drinking. Adding to that were accusations of stealing that were further underlined because the game of golf never forgets, and it rarely forgives.

During his college days, he once made an appearance with a wad of cash while a watch, a putter, and $400 were missing from the locker room. Then there was an instance during the qualifying rounds where Patrick Reed hit the ball into the rough but when they found it, it was closer to the fairway, adding cheating to the list of why Reed was the villain of golf. It didn’t take many reporting houses to create a poll and call Reed the most hated golfer. Fast forward to his professional career…

In 2018, Reed again came under spotlight when in the Ryder Cup, Jordan Spieth asked captain Jim Furyk to pair him with Justin Thomas instead. And since, his professional career hasn’t been the best either. In the very recent times, it’s been his choice to leave the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf. However, the role of being the villain? Let’s say although he has accepted it, he hasn’t been happy with it.

Speaking on the latest episode of LIV Golf’s YouTube Channel, Reed shared his experience with the PGA Tour. He mentioned, “I know it’s impossible to please everybody and for everyone to like you. If you tried to make everyone in the world like you and try to please everyone, I mean you drive yourself insane.” And then he went on to show his frustration with the PGA Tour.

“I mean they painted me as a villain, which hey I don’t mind being the guy that goes in to try to wreck everyone’s day… but I felt like whenever I did something successful or did the things that really meant a lot to me, those kind of got brushed underneath the table cuz they wanted to keep me in that one role.”

Well, Reed has tried pleasing people, and it hasn’t worked out in his favor so far. He’s been a polarizing figure in golf since announcing his presence nearly five years prior, with Britain’s Telegraph naming him the most hated player in golf and a 2015 ESPN players’ poll ranking him the second most-disliked man on tour. His brash comments, such as declaring himself a top-five player in the world at just 23 with only three PGA Tour wins and no major experience, haven’t helped his image.

For most of his time in the PGA Tour, Reed believes that his successes were overlooked, and he was unfairly portrayed in a negative light, which has likely shaped his perspective on the golf world and its complexities.

Well, this isn’t the first time Reed has taken a stand for himself against the criticism he faced for joining LIV Golf.

Patrick Reed believed that the media ‘painted’ him in a negative light

So remember the drama that went down in 2022 after Reed joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit? Well, if you don’t, we’re here to remind you. It all started when Patrick Reed spoke out about his defamation lawsuit against Golf Channel and analyst Brandel Chamblee, stating that they’d portrayed him in a negative light, claiming he was a “horrendous person, a cheater, a liar, and a thief.”

Reed said, “It feels like the media have painted me as this black hat, and they’ve just allowed that to keep on driving their clicks as well as the amount of income they can bring in from attacking me.” He alleged that the PGA Tour and Golf Channel had conspired against him, and he was fighting back to clear his name, seeking damages above $750 million.

Reed also responded to Rory McIlroy’s comments about LIV Golf players participating in the BMW PGA Championship, calling them “insulting.” He pointed out that he consistently supports the DP World Tour, playing more events than some European players on the PGA Tour.

Reed finished tied for fifth at the BMW PGA, with four LIV golfers finishing in the top 20, and predicted that a LIV player winning a non-LIV event would spark a media storm and evidently got a lot of hate for it. So, do you think Patrick Reed’s controversies on and off the course have impacted his reputation more than his actual golf game, even after all these years? Let us know in the comments section below.