Patrick Reed won the Dubai Desert Classic by four shots on Sunday after posting a final round of even-par 72.
Reed secured the 12th victory of his career after a fine performance at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Dame Laura Davies spoke to Sky Sports broadcaster Nick Dougherty after the 35-year-old American’s win on the DP World Tour.
The former LPGA golfer and four-time major champion was mightily impressed by Reed’s golf, and rightly so.
Do you think Patrick Reed is treated unfairly by golf fans?
He's certainly not the most popular player in the game…
Reed was full of confidence heading into the final round in Dubai and he cruised to victory in the end.
The 2018 Masters champion is clearly one of the best golfers in the world but he certainly isn’t one of the most popular players.
Laura Davies says if Patrick Reed can win golf fans over after his win in Dubai
Reed will climb up the world rankings after his win in Dubai on Sunday and now he should be eligible to play in all four major championships in 2026.
However, as good a golfer as he is, fans still remain indifferent towards him.
Davies was asked whether Reed is capable of winning golf fans over after he secured victory in the Middle East this weekend.
She said: “I don’t know because his personality is not exciting is it?
“We just saw his there, he’s really probably buzzing inside but he’s just not that excitable and nor should he be. If that’s the way he is, that’s the way he is.
“But he’s not one of those players that gets you running down a fairway to see what shot he’s going to hit next.
“But what he is is one of the very best players in the world, and he’s so calm and that’s a superpower.“
That’s an interesting response from Davies.
She clearly feels that the reason why Reed isn’t overly popular is due to the fact that he isn’t very excitable.
I beg to differ, though. Most fans struggle to warm to Reed due to his fairly aloof attitude, both out on the golf course and when he’s speaking to the media.
If he is to ever gain the love of the fans, he would have to change his personality in that sense.
What Patrick Reed has said about the unfair criticism he receives
Back in April, Reed made it very clear that he has been treated unfairly during his time in the game.
“I know it’s impossible to please everybody and for everybody like you,“ Reed admitted.
What’s the biggest reason you don’t watch LIV Golf?
“If you try to make everybody in the world like you and try to please everyone, you would drive yourself insane. Being ‘Captain America’ and being passionate about not only my country but my game and how much I love hanging out with my kids and my family is really important for me, that’s who I really am.
“I feel like they didn’t really showcase a lot of that before I got on LIV.
“They painted me as a villain, which I don’t mind being the guy who goes in and tries to wreck everyone’s day, that’s fine. But I felt like whenever I did something successful, or did the things that really meant a lot to me, they kind of got brushed underneath the table. They wanted to keep me in that one ‘role’.
“If you do something right you deserve to get praise for it but if you do something wrong, hey yeh, you deserve to get attacked.
“I just need to keep being the person I am and hopefully one day it all turns around.“
That’s a fair argument from Reed.
However, it just feels like he will always clash with golf fans throughout his career. He’s seemingly not someone who followers of our magnificent game can identify with.
And that’s a real shame, given his outstanding ability.
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