‘Captain America’ Reed could soon be ‘Captain Europe’

Dubai - The Texan could become the first American to win the prestigious Race to Dubai

By James Jose

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USA's Patrick Reed at the Earth Course of the Jumeirah Golf Estates. — Supplied photo
USA's Patrick Reed at the Earth Course of the Jumeirah Golf Estates. — Supplied photo

Published: Wed 9 Dec 2020, 11:07 PM

As Patrick Reed stands on the doorstep of history, winning the Race to Dubai will be the culmination of him being known as a worldwide player and he felt that the landmark strategic alliance between the European Tour and the PGA Tour will prove to be a watershed moment for golf.

The 30-year-old is on the threshold of becoming the first American to win the prestigious Race to Dubai, the European Tour’s Order of Merit, if he wins the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.


Going by the moniker ‘Captain America’ for his exploits for Team USA in the Ryder Cup, Reed could add another title ‘Captain Europe’ to his name.

It would definitely be up there near the top,” Reed said during a virtual interaction on Wednesday, on where winning the Race to Dubai would rank among his other accomplishments.


“You know it's always been a dream of mine to not only win on the PGA Tour but also on The European Tour, and to win the FedEx Cup as well as The Race to Dubai. To be able to get one of those kinds of goals that I've set for my career, especially this early, would be great.

“It's one of those things that I've always enjoyed coming over, I feel like the guys always like having me over here and the fans have always been very supportive. To be able to come out to an event like this, the last tournament of the year, go out and have a good showing, hopefully win this golf tournament, win The Race to Dubai, would mean a lot,” he added.

And Reed, who has eight victories on the PGA Tour and three wins on the European Tour, said that the quality of play and the love he has got on this side of the Atlantic has helped him evolve as a golfer.

“I've always wanted to be a worldwide player, coming over and playing on The European Tour. I feel like it has really helped me out,” said Reed.

As an offshoot of that, Reed is of the belief that the strategic alliance will help more players criss-cross the pond.

“I feel like with the PGA Tour and European Tour coming together and kind of working more together is huge for not just the players but also for golf in general. You have the two biggest organisations in golf come together and kind of work together. Hopefully, more guys start travelling worldwide and start playing more events,” the Texan opined.

james@khaleejtimes.com

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOP 3:

PATRICK REED:

USA

WORLD RANKING: 11

RACE TO DUBAI: 1

EUROPEAN TOUR WINS: 3

TOURNAMENTS PLAYED: 7

Tied 88th: Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers

Won: WGC-Mexico Championship

Tied 47th: WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational

Tied 13th: US PGA Championship

Tied 13th: US Open

Tied 3rd: BMW PGA Championship

Tied 10th: The Masters

TOMMY FLEETWOOD:

ENGLAND

WORLD RANKING: 16

RACE TO DUBAI: 2

EUROPEAN TOUR WINS: 5

TOURNAMENTS PLAYED: 10

Tied 2nd: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Tied 11th: Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Tied 18th: WGC-Mexico Championship

Tied 35th: WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational

Tied 29th: US PGA Championship

Tied 3rd: Portugal Masters

Tied 72nd: US Open

2nd: Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open

Tied 13th: BMW PGA Championship

Tied 19th: The Masters

COLLIN MORIKAWA:

USA

WORLD RANKING: 7

RACE TO DUBAI: 3

EUROPEAN TOUR WINS: 1

TOURNAMENTS PLAYED: 5

Tied 42nd: WGC-Mexico Championship

Tied 20th: WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational

Won: US PGA Championship

Tied 62nd: US Open

Tied 44th: The Masters


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