Welcome back to SI Golf’s Fact or Fiction, where we will be having hot dogs at the turn and then more hot dogs at our holiday cookouts.
Once again, we’re here to debate a series of statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also (occasionally) be “Neutral” since there's a lot of gray area in golf.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.
Patrick Reed won for the first time on LIV Golf in Dallas, and his 2025 season also includes a solo third at the Masters and a T23 at the U.S. Open. If he has a high finish in the British Open he should be on the Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black—where he once won on the PGA Tour.
Bob Harig: NEUTRAL. If Reed has a high finish at the Open, he should definitely be in consideration. But lest we forget his last Ryder Cup—in 2018—when he complained that his partnership with Jordan Spieth was broken up. By captain Jim Furyk. Who is an assistant this year. And who very well might take on an added role if captain Keegan Bradley plays.
Jeff Ritter: FICTION. I think Reed probably either needs to win the British or come extremely close to create a case to make the team. As Bob notes, we remember Reed as “Captain America” from his runs at Gleneagles and Hazeltine, but in Paris in 2018 he was hardly a great teammate, and in the past few years he’s of course been on LIV and away from most of his would-be teammates.
Max Schreiber: FICTION. A win, yes. A runner-up, maybe. But LIV events do not hold any weight in figuring out a player’s form. And with his reputation as a locker room cancer, despite some past heroics playing for Team USA (not in this decade, by the way), it’s too much of a risk if he doesn’t automatically qualify.
John Schwarb: FACT. If Reed has another top-3 finish at Royal Portrush, he should be the second LIV’er on the team alongside Bryson. I understand he may not be a hit in the team room but he’ll antagonize the other team, which is what we’re looking for.
Another week, another destructive flash of anger on the course as Brooks Koepka smashed a tee marker at Maridoe Golf Club before withdrawing from the LIV event. Tours should issue stroke penalties for these outbursts.
Bob Harig: FACT. The ability to do so is in the rulebook. Rule 1.2b allows a committee to adopt a code of conduct, with penalties ranging from one stroke to disqualification. Among the examples that can lead to such penalties are “deliberately damaging the course, throwing or breaking clubs, using abusive language.” Seems pretty simple.
Jeff Ritter: FACT. It’s a bad look and the problem seems to be growing. Time for the Tour to get in front of it. One stroke would be a good start and probably all but end it.
Max Schreiber: FACT. It’s good for the media as it generates clicks, but it sets a bad precedent and somebody can get hurt. The tee marker almost hit a fan when Koepka took a swing at it, and Wyndham Clark nearly took out a volunteer at the PGA Championship. Imagine if it actually happened. That would be a serious issue.
John Schwarb: FACT. Tours have been lucky that fans or volunteers haven’t been hurt. Players presumably get fined for the outbursts but those clearly aren’t a deterrent (especially since they’re never publicized)—hitting them in the scorecard rather than the wallet is the answer.
The LPGA Tour’s Dow Championship ended in a playoff at the same time as the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic and LIV Golf Dallas were on their closing holes. New LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler should look into more creative scheduling next year to give the women a better spotlight.
Bob Harig: FACT. And so should LIV. Asking fans to make a choice is very difficult. There are not enough eyeballs to go around as it is. This is not easy, of course. Playing during the week is not necessarily ideal. But such options should be explored.
Jeff Ritter: FACT. The opportunity is there for the LPGA to break away from a traditional schedule and carve its own path. What about ending events on Fridays in prime time? What do they have to lose?
Max Schreiber: NEUTRAL. I could have gone “fact” here. It’s a good thought, but it might be unrealistic. For the majors, though, it should absolutely be considered. The U.S. Women’s Open goes against the Memorial Tournament, and the KPMG Women’s PGA is played opposite the Travelers. It’s unlikely the women will top the men in the ratings those weeks. But amid a long season, it’s impossible not to have the two tours go head-to-head. Maybe a late finish on the West Coast while the men are on the East Coast, but then it might be difficult to keep the women from flying all around the country week-to-week, something the new commissioner has said he wants to avoid.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fact or Fiction: Patrick Reed Should Be on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team at Bethpage.
