Patrick Reed Begins ‘New Chapter’ After Announcing Exit From LIV Golf

Playing without the LIV Golf logos he had worn since 2022, Patrick Reed shot 71 in the opening round of the DP World Tour’s event in Bahrain.

Patrick Reed shot 71 in Bahrain on the DP World Tour, in his first round since announcing his departure from LIV Golf. | Warren Little/Getty Images

Having shed his LIV Golf gear for a logo-less look, Patrick Reed played the first round of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Open on Thursday, then spoke afterward for the first time about his decision to move on from LIV Golf.

Reed, who Wednesday announced his departure just a week prior to the LIV Golf season opener in Riyadh, will play the DP World Tour this year and won’t be permitted to play in any PGA Tour events until late August.

“I’m really excited,” Reed said via the DP World Tour after an opening-round 71 saw him six shots back of the leaders. “With everything that has transpired over the past 48 hours, and really even since Sunday and last week, it’s something that I felt like, with my family and I was the best decision for me.

“I’ve really enjoyed all my time out there on LIV. It’s been a blast. I learned a lot when I was out there playing and hopefully my 4Aces team can go out there and win everything. I will still be pulling for them and watching them.

“I’m really excited to be out here to play on the DP World Tour like always, and really excited to get back to the PGA Tour and start playing close to home. I’m just really grateful and thankful to have the opportunity to play everywhere around the world like I have. Now we’re starting a new chapter and I can’t wait for it to get really rolling.”

Reed, a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour, won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday and has maintained a strong DP World Tour schedule while playing LIV Golf.

What’s next on Reed’s schedule

As he is not allowed to rejoin the PGA Tour as a member until January and would be playing out of the past champion category without any other status, his best path back is to finish among the top 10 in the DP World Tour Race to Dubai standings. (He will be allowed to accept sponsor invites to fall events but is likely to be playing DP World Tour tournaments then.)

That avenue means a full exemption into regular PGA Tour events. Reed is second in the early-season standings.

After playing his third straight event this week in the Middle East after consecutive tournaments in Dubai, Reed has entered next week’s Qatar Masters.

After that, his tournament choices on the DP World Tour preceding the Masters—where he is invited as a past champion—are events in Kenya, two in South Africa, and in China and India.

Reed is ranked 29th in the Official World Golf Ranking and all but assured of an invite to the PGA Championship. The U.S. Open takes the top 60 in the OWGR close to the tournament and the British Open exempts those who are in the top 50 eight weeks prior to the event.