Golfers face pressure from every direction when they are on a golf course. But scorecards don’t measure all the challenges. Some of them arise outside the course and even affect golfers’ personal lives. For Patrick Reed, it went a step further, affecting his children’s lives.

After firing an impressive round of 66 on Day 2 at the International Series Philippines, Reed was in conversation with AFP’s Daniel Hicks. The two talked about Reed’s media portrayal, and Reed opened up about how it has impacted not only him but also his kids. “My kids have been bullied at school so that’s where it’s uncalled for,” Reed said.

Patrick Reed said he still suffers from this “false” bad-boy reputation, and so does his family. He had grown accustomed to this, but bringing his children into all this was a different story altogether. The American golfer has 2 children: an eleven-year-old daughter, Windsor-Wells, and an eight-year-old son, Barrett Benjamin. “When they all of a sudden look at your children and say stuff about them, it’s like you don’t even know my children and why would you even bring kids into it?” he told Daniel Hicks.

Reed has faced criticism from the media from time to time. For instance, his embedded ball situation at the par-4 10th hole at the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open got him a lot of criticism. One of his shots bounced and landed in deep rough. No one noticed the bounce, so Reed checked whether it was embedded. Thus, officials gave him a clean chit because of the benefit of the doubt. However, videos emerged later showing the ball clearly bounced.

The same happened after his two-stroke penalty at the 2019 Hero World Challenge. Many media outlets and personalities criticized him. Brandel Chamblee was the most vocal about it. The media portrayal went so far that Reed had to file a $750 million defamation lawsuit against Chamblee and The Golf Channel. The 2018 Masters champion claimed that “calculated, malicious, false and reckless attacks” had caused him major damage. That being said, a federal judge dismissed all accusations.

He also faced longstanding allegations from his college days at the University of Georgia. Author Shane Ryan accused him of cheating and stealing from teammates in his book, “Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour.” Reed had no idea about this until an interview with Golf’s Dylan Dethier. “I have no idea where that came from. Absolutely no idea,” said Reed. The 9x PGA Tour winner also included Ryan in his failed defamation lawsuit. Recently, he came into the spotlight again after joining LIV Golf. Many elites who joined LIV, including Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and others, have faced criticism for it.

Reed said that, unlike how the media has painted him as a villain, the people he plays with all have good things to say about him. “Everyone I play pro-ams with and everybody I meet, they’re all like: ‘Man, you’re nothing like what the media portrays you as.’ So as long as that just continues happening, at some point it will turn around,” said the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open champion.

While Reed is portrayed negatively at times, some in the golf community have supported him over the years.

People in support of Patrick Reed

Many golfers who played with Reed said that he likes to keep to himself. But despite not trying to get involved with anyone or anything, he is often in the middle of controversy. However, there are some who support him, and Webb Simpson is one of them. “He’s a hard worker. He always tries to handle his business, and I respect that. People will always say stuff whether they know him or not,” Simpson said. The two have played many seasons together, and Simpson knows Reed well.

Another person in support of him is Daniel Berger. “I think he gets an untrue rep from who he actually is. He’s a good guy. You hear people saying he’s not a nice guy or they don’t like him, but I think that’s untrue, to be honest,” Berger said. Reed even received some support and praise from fans after he committed to the BMW PGA Championship in 2023. Unlike many other golfers, Reed played some events on the European Tour, and fans wanted to see more athletes do that.

Headlines have often defined Patrick Reed’s career, but his words reveal the toll that image has taken beyond the golf course. Despite the criticism, he continues to focus on his game and the support of those who know him best.