MADRID (AP) — There were many unknowns when Patrick Reed decided not to renew his contract with LIV Golf and start the long road back to the PGA Tour.
One thing he was sure of, though, was that he wanted to let his “clubs do the talking” and earn his way back instead of having a spot given to him.
And in a “huge year” on the European tour, Reed is closer to completing his comeback and achieving his goal.
“The biggest thing for me at the start of the year
when I decided not to re-sign with LIV was to try to make my way back to the PGA Tour," he said Tuesday ahead of this week’s Spanish Open in Madrid. "The way to do that I felt was to try to play our way on.
“To be able to have the start of the season I did and to basically earn my way back to the PGA Tour meant a lot to me.”
The 36-year-old American split victories in Dubai and Qatar with a runner-up finish in Bahrain in February. He enters the final stretch of the year leading Rory McIlroy in the season-long Race to Dubai. The leading 10 players from the European tour not already exempt earn PGA Tour cards for 2027.
“This was a huge year to me,” Reed said. “Not just for my career, but also for my family, because I had to go earn my spot back, and to be able to go out there and earn it back and play the way I’ve been playing, means a lot. And to hopefully play well these last couple of events, and hopefully hold everyone off and win the Race to Dubai would mean a lot.”
The 2018 Masters champion said the “only way” back for LIV players to the PGA Tour should be on merit through results.
“I’m a firm believer that if you earn your right to play somewhere you should be able to play, but you have to earn it," he said. "You have to go out there and do the work, you know, go out there and not only just work hard but also play well.
“I’ve always wanted to earn my spot rather than having a spot given. Those guys on LIV, there are pathways to whether it’s to here on the DP (European tour), whether it’s to the PGA Tour. ... I feel like that’s the only way that you should be able to get back is by going out there and letting the clubs do the talking.”
Reed is part of a strong field in Spain, returning to action after withdrawing from the BMW PGA Championship with a hand injury and pulling out of the French Open. He is trying to become the second American to win the Race to Dubai, after Collin Morikawa in 2021.
“It’s one of those things that I’ve always prided myself as being that American that likes to play around the world," he said. "To have the opportunity to come over here, not only just play on this tour, but also to have a chance to win the Race to Dubai, it would mean a lot.”
Reed said it was Gary Player who advised him, in one of the first times that they met, to play more abroad.
“He told me, ‘Well, if you want to be a worldwide player, you’ve got to go out and play outside of not just the PGA Tour, you've got to play elsewhere,'" Reed said. “And once I got the opportunity to come over and play, I really enjoyed it and hopefully, hopefully, I can bring more Americans over and more of the top players to come out and play around the world, help grow the game.”
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