Reed Tees Off In Bahrain Riding A Strong Wave Of Support

3 hours ago by 0

Patrick Reed kick started his opening Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship round on a highly positive note following yesterday’s shock news he had quit LIV Golf.

Reed offered a hint last week in Dubai, and just ahead of capturing the Hero Dubai Desert Classic title, that all was not well in seeking to re-sign with LIV for the up-coming 2026 season.

Also it seemed practical his reason for entering this week’s Bahrain event, as the 2026 LIV Tour commences next week in Saudi Arabia thus avoiding heading home to the States for a week but then returning back to the Middle East.

Though nobody was expecting the news when Reed put a simple and polite message on his X account saying that he’d quit LIV Golf and would be playing back on the PGA Tour later this year ahead of first full season in five-years in teeing-up in 2027.

Reed, and last year’s winner of the LIV Golf Dallas event in his home town, expressed his reasons in a similar theme message as fellow Major Champion Brooks Koepka, who also sighted family reasons for his desire to return to the PGA Tour.

However in contrast to his five-time major winning compatriot, Reed’s return will seem not to be as stressful as Koepka’s with the Texan to play the DP World Tour for the ensuing few months and make his return to the PGA Tour post the close of the official 2026 Tour season in late August.

It will mean Reed can play in the FedEx Cup Fall, the first event being the Biltmore Championship Asheville in North Carolina from September 17th to 20th but only should he receives a sponsor exemption. He cannot use his limited status as a past PGA Tour champion until 2027.

No such restrictions on the DPWT as Reed can choose to play virtually where he may choose as he’s a Life Member of the Tour, an honour afforded him following his Masters triumph.

And it would seem from comments by his colleagues teeing-up later today in the Farmers Insurance Open, that open arms will await Reed when he does set foot back onto the PGA Tour.

“As you’re seeing, kind of the dominoes are starting to fall of maybe those guys on the LIV tour are not that happy out there and the grass is not greener on the other side,” said Harris English, this week’s Torrey Pines defending champion, said speaking with reporters.

“They’re seeing the PGA Tour getting stronger and having more success, and kind of seeing that money’s not the end all, be all.

“Like, that doesn’t fulfil them. It doesn’t fulfil me. They’re still competitors, they’re competitive people and they love playing in the biggest events against the best players in the world. For me, that’s out here on the PGA Tour and I think they’re starting to realize that, that that’s what fulfils them.”

Reigning US Open champ JJ Spaun remarked: “I think people want to be on the PGA Tour. It’s the best Tour in the world, the most competitive tour.

“I think Patrick will be a good asset to this tour and I think it just speaks volumes to where the Tour’s headed. I think to add even more competition for us that have been here while they left, and, you know, adding Brooks and Patrick now, it’s just strengthening our tour, which I think is great.”

And there is Sweden’s super-talented Ludwig Aberg, who has been drawn to play the opening two Farmers Insurance Open rounds in the company of Sam Burns and Koepka, and with Aberg never having met Koepka or Reed.

“I do understand certain situations are going to be a little bit different, everyone’s going to view it a little bit differently and I think everyone’s going to make the best decision for their personal career,” Aberg said.

“When it was an option for me, I didn’t like it. It wasn’t anything that I wanted to be a part of, so naturally for me in my position that wasn’t going to be the case.

“Guys are doing it — if you’re doing it the right way and you want to come back, I have no problem.”



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