Toby Tarrant: Golf needs people like Patrick Reed so we can point our fingers and say “that’s the bad guy”
Patrick Reed of the United States team reacts on the 16th green during Thursday four-ball matches on day one of the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Course on December 12, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
There's a scene in the 1983 classic film 'Scarface' where Al Pacino, playing the out-of-control drug lord Tony Montana, has a monumental argument with his wife in a packed, incredibly posh restaurant.
His wife storms out and then Montana, pumped full of drugs and alcohol, stumbles out of the restaurant in front of all the horrified guests. As he does, he turns to everyone sat there in their tuxedos and ballgowns and says: “You need people like me... You need people like me so you can point your fingers and say that’s the bad guy”.
OK, there’s a few more swear words than that… but you get the gist.
“Admittedly, it is easy to dismiss Reed as a sort of pantomime villain. I have never had to share a changing room, a golf course or heaven forbid a driving range in Dubai with the guy, nor has he ever subpoenaed me on Christmas Eve. But every sport needs players with unique personalities to add a layer of intrigue and golf is no different.”
It's an amazing scene but probably not one that you would immediately associate with the world of professional golf. However, it came to mind recently when watching golf's very own "bad guy" Patrick Reed and his latest moment of controversy. Admittedly, what Reed did wasn't quite as extreme as Tony Montana arguing with his wife and trashing a fancy restaurant because he’s drunk and high and stressed that his cocaine empire is falling apart. Not quite. Instead, Reed lobbed a golf tee in Rory McIlroy’s general direction on a driving range after McIlroy refused to speak to him at the Dubai Desert Classic. But from the reaction on social media, you’d think Reed had just murdered his best friend (another Scarface reference, you should really watch it if you haven’t already).
1983: Actor Al Pacino stars in 'Scarface'. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.
McIlroy later revealed that Patrick Reed’s lawyers had issued him a subpoena, on Christmas Eve no less just to really add to the whole “bad guy” vibe, and that’s why he chose to ignore him. Seems fair enough. What also fuelled the reaction is that this is not the first time that Reed has caused controversy. Far from it. All the way back in 2008 he was kicked off the University of Georgia golf team for two alcohol violations. He’s clashed with fans of both USA and Europe at the Ryder Cup as well as his own teammates, and he has often been accused of “cheating” or at least using the PGA’s rather complicated rulebook to his advantage and bending the rules in his favour.
There is no question he is one professional golf’s most divisive and frankly unpopular players… But is there an argument that we need characters like Reed in sport? Someone who every weekend, when we turn on our TV, we can point our fingers at and say, “that’s the bad guy”.
Sport is all about narratives and rivalries, it’s about clashes of not just playing styles but personalities as well. In wrestling they call the heroic wrestlers a “face” whilst the villains are a “heel”, and they are constantly pitted against one another for viewers’ entertainment. In a wonderful twist of fate, that even the WWE would consider far-fetched, the Dubai Desert Classic culminated in McIlroy beating Reed by one stroke. A victory for the good guy. There’s no denying that the off-the-course drama made the final day far more captivating than it would have been otherwise. Rory celebrated wildly on the 72nd hole and admitted afterwards that the win was “probably sweeter than it should be”. He recognised this was win was special because of who he had just beaten. It added to the spectacle for him as well as the fans. If you take away the different golf personalities from the men’s game, you’d just be left with a load of bland guys hitting a white ball around a field wearing dodgy trousers.
“Sport is all about narratives and rivalries, it’s about clashes of not just playing styles but personalities as well. ”
And it’s not that you want 130 Patrick Reed’s teeing it up every weekend, but there’s certainly room for a few different personalities. After all, Reed is not the only divisive figure in recent years. Bryson DeChambeau, Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson and loads more have stirred up anger amongst fans for various reasons and as frustrating as some people might find these guys, it would be boring if everyone was squeaky clean. Take Scottie Scheffler for example, he’s an incredible golfer, a proven winner and someone who has had a meteoric rise over the last few years. Unquestionably, it has been amazing to watch, but he’s not exactly Muhammad Ali in interviews is he? Let’s be honest, if you were stuck on a desert island with Scottie Scheffler and a ham sandwich, you’d probably eat Scheffler and talk to the ham sandwich instead.
Admittedly, it is easy to dismiss Reed as a sort of pantomime villain. I have never had to share a changing room, a golf course or heaven forbid a driving range in Dubai with the guy, nor has he ever subpoenaed me on Christmas Eve. But every sport needs players with unique personalities to add a layer of intrigue and golf is no different. Am I fan of Patrick Reed? No. But whether we like to admit it or not, we need people like Patrick Reed so we can point our fingers and say, “that’s the bad guy”.
Toby Tarrant is a new columnist to The Cut Stuff casting a monthly irreverent look on the world of golf.
Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
#BehindTheTour
