Augusta (United States) (AFP) – Deciding to leave LIV Golf helped Patrick Reed launch his most successful golf in years, boosting his confidence ahead of this week’s 90th Masters. The 35-year-old American, who won a green jacket at Augusta in 2018, jumped from the US PGA Tour to LIV Golf in 2022 then decided not to re-sign with the Saudi-backed series this past January while playing in Dubai. Reed, whose lone LIV win came last June in Dallas, won the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, lost the next week’s event in Bahrain in a playoff, then won again the following week in Qatar.
“It helps playing that type of golf when you’re making a decision like that,” Reed said on Monday. “I wanted to get back and not only have an opportunity back on the PGA Tour but get back to the traditional way of golf and playing.” Spending more time with his family was also part of the consideration. “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,” Reed said. “I wanted that adrenaline back, and those feelings…I felt like this was the best place for me.”
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Reed, playing on the DP World Tour as an honorary lifetime member, hopes to return to the PGA Tour once eligible in August. Reed could play PGA events in late 2026 on sponsor exemptions and as a qualifier and would seek past champion status for 2027. “I love playing worldwide, but to be able to come back and see the guys and just really experiencing and kind of growing my game…I feel like it sharpens your game,” he said. “The best players in the world and the deepest fields from top to bottom are on the PGA Tour.”
Reed’s success has jumped him atop the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai standings and to 23rd in this week’s world golf rankings. “The golf game feels solid. I feel like every tool in my golf bag right now is sharp and ready to go,” Reed said. Reed has finished in the Masters top 10 in four of the past six years, including third last year. “Hopefully we can make some more memories,” Reed said. “The one jacket is getting a little lonely. Might need one more.”
Reed, who has played in 27 nations since 2022, will travel across the Atlantic Ocean to compete then return home. “Those travels overseas, it’s going to be a lot this year,” Reed said.
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