Patrick Reed captured the Dubai Desert Classic title by four strokes after a final-round 72.
The 35-year-old has now collected 12 career wins, and this one came in convincing fashion.
Dame Laura Davies, speaking with Sky Sports’ Nick Dougherty after the tournament, praised Reed’s performance.
The American looked confident from the start of the day and closed it out with little trouble. It was a steady finish to a solid week, even if he wasn’t playing alongside Rory McIlroy again like he had earlier in the tournament. The two had been paired together on Saturday, which brought back memories of their 2016 Ryder Cup showdown.
Laura Davies discusses Patrick Reed’s chances of winning over fans after Dubai win
Reed’s victory in Dubai will boost his world ranking and should ensure he qualifies for all four major championships in 2026.
Despite his impressive play, Reed hasn’t managed to win over many fans yet, something that has followed him throughout his career.
Davies was asked whether this latest win might help change the way he is perceived by golf supporters.
She said: “I don’t know because his personality is not exciting is it?
“We just saw him 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 one of the very best players in the world, and he’s so calm and that’s a superpower.”
I can see why she feels that way. Reed doesn’t come across as someone who goes out of his way to entertain or engage with crowds. He prefers to let his game do the talking.
Patrick Reed weighs in on the criticism he feels is unwarranted
Reed has not been shy about his belief that he’s been unfairly treated during his career, a point he made clear again back in April.
“I know it’s impossible to please everybody and for everybody to like you,” Reed admitted.
“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.”
Reed makes some valid points there.
Still, it seems likely he’ll always have a complicated relationship with fans. He just doesn’t come across as someone people feel connected to.
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