How Patrick Reed’s Decision to Leave LIV Ignited His Return to the Masters

AUGUSTA — If he felt slighted, overlooked or even scorned, Patrick Reed was not letting on. He took a seat in the palatial Augusta National media center on Monday, his hat removed as per protocol, and conducted a pre-Masters interview on the first official day of tournament week.

The 2018 Masters champion had not been in the facility since he appeared as the defending champion in advance of the 2019 tournament. Despite his past champion status and several high finishes, the former Augusta resident who played college golf locally had not been summoned.

It’s fair to wonder if any of that had to do with his joining the LIV Golf League in 2022 and, thus, perhaps, being shunned in recent years. But, now, having left LIV Golf and also, perhaps more importantly, having won twice earlier this year on the DP World Tour, Reed was among those on the pre-tournament formal interview list.

“Obviously, I love being in this room,” Reed said. “It means you’re doing something well.”

He has so far this year. During a three-week stretch on the DP World Tour in late January and early February, Reed won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, lost in a playoff at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and then won the Qatar Masters.

In six starts this year—all in the Middle East and South Africa—Reed has climbed to 23rd in the Official World Golf Ranking and to the top of the Race to Dubai standings on the DP World Tour.

And all of it came about with a surprising and relatively quick decision in late January to leave LIV Golf and plot a return to the PGA Tour, where he has won nine times.

LIV Golf held a preseason media and content-gathering event for several days in Florida before Reed was to leave for the Middle East. He attended the early-week session and then headed to the Dubai Invitational with, seemingly, every intention of starting LIV’s season a few weeks later in Riyadh.

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“We had an offer, but at the end of the day, it was kind of one of those things that when I sat down and talked with my wife [Justine] and my team, I just felt like the best decision for us was to come back and join the PGA Tour, so I could be closer to home and with the family,” Reed said. “There’s nothing that I felt like was going on between LIV and us or anything like that. As I said, we had a contract, had a deal, but at the end of the day, I felt like the best thing for us was to come to the PGA Tour again.”

The timeline is a bit hazy, but Reed’s move seemed to come in the aftermath of Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV Golf and get a pathway back to the PGA Tour via its newly-created Returning Member Program.

Because Koepka had won a major championship (the 2023 PGA) during the 2022 to ’25 timeframe, he was allowed to return this year, with restrictions.

Reed’s situation was more complicated, but he said it came at a point where it made more sense. And it came together when he was in contention at the Dubai event.

“It definitely happened quickly, but it was one of those that, when I was over there in Dubai and playing, I really just kind of was sitting back and realizing that I wanted to get back and not only join—have an opportunity back on the PGA Tour, but get back to the traditional way of golf and playing,” Reed said.

“When I stood there in Dubai, that Saturday, the entire range was full, and then guys just started disappearing, and you’re the last man on that tee box. Then you’re walking to the tee, you’re the last name announced, and you’ve lost the lead because someone is 5-under through 8. All those just rushes and those scenarios, kind of going back into playing golf that way, where you’re going out there, and you’re having the battles between not just yourself, but the other guys on the leaderboard.

“For me, I wanted that back, I wanted that adrenaline back, and those feelings, especially with the way I played those last three weeks.

“When I got done, I knew this would be a perfect time for me since I didn’t have a contract signed with LIV at the time, so I knew it would be kind of an easier transition. To be honest with you, it was one of those decisions that I felt like was the best, not just for the golf game, but also for my family to spend more time with them.”

Reed has no current status on the PGA Tour aside from being a past champion and won’t be allowed to play events until after August. He can accept sponsor invites into fall events and compete as a non-member, which also allows him to attempt to qualify via Mondays.

It will also be interesting to see if he gets consideration for the U.S. Presidents Cup team. Captain Brandt Snedeker said recently that he’d have no problem picking Reed.

In 2027, he will be eligible to reinstate his membership and can play out of the past champion’s category. But his best avenue is via the DP World Tour’s exemption for the top 10 players on the Race to Dubai who are not otherwise exempt.

“Driving up Magnolia Lane, you always sit there and feel really good about it, especially as a past champion. But, hopefully, we can make some more memories. The one jacket is getting a little lonely. Might need one more.”
Patrick Reed

Leading the standings, Reed has already accumulated more points than necessary to earn a PGA Tour card for 2026. And with no ability to play on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events are his best avenue anyway.

Although he said he was unsure of his schedule going forward, there are only three events between the Masters and the PGA Championship, one of which is two weeks prior in Turkey, which would seem likely. After the PGA, there are three more events before the U.S. Open, including one in Austria.

He did say he plans to play the Scottish Open—a co-sanctioned event—the week prior to the British Open.

The PGA typically invites anyone in the top 100 in OWGR, while the U.S. Open has two top-60 cutoffs, and The Open has a top-50 exemption in late May. Reed appears to be a lock for all the majors.

And pretty much a given to be on the PGA Tour next year, too.

For now, his focus is on the Masters, where he finished third last year.

“I always feel really good coming in,” Reed said. “It’s one of these things that, being the first major, you always try to come in and obviously be in great form, but it’s very easy to kind of put too much pressure on yourself being the first major.

“The first time I actually kind of decided just to let go and play golf was ’18, and that got the job done. That being said, that’s what I plan on doing. I try it every time I play majors. I try to treat it like another event. It definitely is a special place. Driving up Magnolia Lane, you always sit there and feel really good about it, especially as a past champion. But, hopefully, we can make some more memories. The one jacket is getting a little lonely. Might need one more.”