U.S. Court Dismisses Patrick Reed’s $750 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against Multiple Golf Media Outlets

Patrick Reed had filed a $750 million defamation lawsuit against several golf media outlets after they severely criticized his move to LIV Golf.

U.S. Court Dismisses Patrick Reed’s $750 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against Multiple Golf Media Outlets

Patrick Reed (Image via Imago)

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A few days after winning on the LIV Golf circuit for the first time, Patrick Reed suffered a major loss. According to reports, the former Masters Champion’s $750 million defamation lawsuit against several golf media outlets has been dismissed by a U.S. Court.

The American golfer was one of the top names who left the PGA Tour to play for LIV Golf. As a result of this move, he was criticized by several people.

In the lawsuit filed in 2022, Reed named several golf media outlets, including Golfweek, for defaming him. According to the golfer, the comments made by these outlets regarding his move to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) backed tour resulted in him suffering heavy financial losses as he lost out on several sponsorships and endorsements.

While a court in Florida had already dismissed his lawsuit earlier and ordered him to pay the outlets, he would revive his case. As per Golfweek, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit expressed that Reed failed to provide any actual evidence to prove that the defendants had acted with any ‘true malice‘ against him.

Reed simply failed to plead facts that addressed the element of ‘actual malice’ in the context of defamation against a public figure, i.e., that any Defendant knew the statements they made were false or that they made them with reckless disregard as to their falsity.

Patrick Reed eyeing Ryder Cup spot at upcoming Open Championship

After a stop in Scotland for the Genesis Scottish Open, the golfing action will move to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the 2025 Open Championship. LIV Golfer Patrick Reed is hoping to perform well in this tournament while eyeing a spot for the Ryder Cup team.

Patrick Reed
Patrick Reed (Image via Imago)

Qualifying for the Ryder Cup as a member of the LIV Golf league is a difficult task. Unlike the other golfers, who keep getting chances to collect points week in and week out, LIV Golfers only have the 4 major championships to earn those points.

Following an impressive 3rd place finish at the Masters Tournament this year, Reed failed to make the cut at the PGA Championship. At the U.S. Open, he finished T23 while carding a score of 70 in the final round to jump up 16 places.

At the moment, he is ranked 34th in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. The top 6 will automatically qualify for the team while 6 golfers from positions 7 to 15 will be picked by captain Keegan Bradley.

To get even close, Reed will have an ‘uphill battle‘ at the Open Championship. The 9-time PGA Tour winner is feeling confident about his chances and is ready to go out there and perform.

I have to play some solid golf, go out and contend on Sundays, have a chance to win golf tournaments, and if I do that, then hopefully Keegan picks me. But at the end of the day, because we only get the majors that have points for the Ryder Cup, it’s an uphill battle. The good thing is I feel like I’m in a good spot right now, as long as I go out and play well in the final major.

Nicknamed ‘Captain America‘, Reed has been part of the Ryder Cup squad on three occasions (2014, 2016, and 2018). He has an impressive record of 7-3-2 with a total of 8 points.

He has also performed well in the 2025 LIV Golf season. Apart from his win at the LIV Golf Dallas event, Reed has picked up 3 more top 10 finishes. He is ranked 4th in the LIV Golf individual standings, just behind Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Joaquin Niemann.

Speaking of his record at the Open Championship, his best finish in this event came in 2019 when he finished T10. He would miss the cut in 2021 and finished T47 and T33 in 2022 and 2023 respectively. So, he will need a huge performance next week to keep his hopes of making it to the Ryder Cup squad alive.

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