SAN DIEGO — Patrick Reed is the second major champion to leave Saudi-funded LIV Golf, announcing Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) he will spend the rest of the year on the European tour with an eye on returning to the PGA Tour as early as September.
His stunning decision, just three days after he won the Dubai Desert Classic, comes the same week that five-time major champion Brooks Koepka returns to the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines.
“I’m a traditionalist at heart, and I was born to play on the PGA Tour, which is where my story began with my wife, Justine,” Reed said on social media. “I am very fortunate for the opportunities that have come my way and grateful for the life we have created. I am moving forward in my career, and I look forward to competing on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. I can’t wait to get back out there and revisit some of the best places on earth.”
The PGA Tour sent a memo to players outlining the path back for players like Reed, who did not fit into the “Returning Member Program” that was offered only to those who had won a major or The Players Championship since 2022.
Reed won the Masters in 2018. The tour said he would be eligible to return a year from his last LIV Golf appearance on Aug. 24, 2025. He would not face additional discipline from the PGA Tour because Reed resigned his membership when he left for LIV, and he was not part of the antitrust lawsuit filed against the PGA Tour in 2022.
“I’m not surprised guys are wanting to come back,” Xander Schauffele said. “Thanks to the whole split, I think we’ve tried to make our product as good as possible. If they didn’t like it then, I’m sure they’ll like it the second time around.”
Reed can play in the FedEx Cup Fall — the first event is the Biltmore Championship Asheville in North Carolina on Sept. 17 to 20 — if he receives a sponsor exemption. He cannot use his limited status as a past champion until 2027.
Reed also could earn a full card by finishing among the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai who don’t already have PGA Tour membership.
His victory in Dubai moved him to No. 2 in the standings, and now he has a full schedule in Europe — commercially known as the DP World Tour — ahead of him.
He also is set for the four majors, having risen to No. 29 in the world.
LIV Golf begins its fifth season in one week in Saudi Arabia. Reed is playing in Bahrain this week as part of the European tour schedule, his third straight week.
Upon his return to the PGA Tour, Reed would not be eligible to receive shares in the Player Equity Program through 2030. That was part of the agreement for Koepka’s return — no equity for five years, and no access to FedEx Cup bonus money this year.
Reed would be eligible to be a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup in September.
Reed last played a team competition in the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia. While he has a 12-9-5 record overall in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup competitions, his last two appearances included some negativity. He complained to The New York Times about not being used the right way in a US loss in Paris in 2018, and his caddie shoved a fan in Australia in 2019.