Who doesn’t love a good villain? TV shows, movies, sports, and even real life all have their own villains. They're a necessary piece to any compelling plot. Without villains to stir the pot and inspire us, life would be boring. That person who cut you off in traffic? Villain. Pam, who poured the last cup of coffee without making another pot in the break room? Double villain. The Joker, Darth Vader? Villains of epic proportion. The Bad Boys Detroit Pistons, Ndamukong Suh, Grayson Allen? All athletes who show up in every "sports villain" Google search.
But where have the villains in golf gone?
In a sport that generally lacks controversy, golf is desperate for a villain. Unfortunately, the biggest villain in professional golf (besides slow play, looking at you @patrickcantlay) @LIVgolf_league, picked off the top two villains in the sport, Patrick Reed and Ian Poulter.
Patrick Reed
Patrick Reed (@preedgolf) has been a villain every step of the way. Kicked off his college team at Georgia, Reed embraced the hate, transferred to Augusta State, and won two National Championships. Rumors of cheating, inflated confidence, and other personality questions followed Reed all the way to the PGA Tour.
Despite all the shade on Reed, you cannot argue with the talent. The guy has nine Tour wins, a Green Jacket, and can get up and down from a dumpster. Speaking of dumpster fire, @usegolffacts on Twitter is widely speculated to be Reed’s burner account that may or may not be run by his wife, Justine. For more on the controversial Reed, check out www.golf.com's story, "Patrick Reed's controversial past, highs and lows - GOLF.com."
Ian Poulter
Ian Poulter While Reed always seems to find himself in the middle of trouble, @Ianjamespoulter looks for it on the grandest stage, The Ryder Cup. From the team USA perspective, you hate Poulter, but at the same time, you love to hate him. Ian Poulter is a match play dog and a European Ryder Cup stalwart. Even when overmatched, Poulter finds a way. He is 5-0-1 in singles and has been a thorn in Team USA's side for the last seven Ryder Cups. At forty-seven, Poulter is on the back end of a great career, but still has a little bit more in the tank and at least one more Ryder Cup in him. Too bad that won’t happen, as Poulter left the Tour for LIV and, with his departure, gave up the Ryder Cup. The real tragedy in the entire affair is that the most hated European Ryder Cup villain of all time will never get to be a captain. This is a terrible shame and big miss for the game and for Poulter. For more on the story, read Ian Poulter's claim that he may skip the Ryder Cup even if he qualifies amid LIV Golf drama on Yahoo Sports.
With Reed and Poulter out of sight and out of mind, who is the biggest villain on the PGA Tour now? Who do we love to hate, and why?
