Patrick Reed will not be returning to LIV Golf and has been cleared for an eventual PGA Tour return.
Reed, a nine-time winner on Tour and 2018 Masters champion, announced Wednesday that he will compete full-time on the DP World Tour this season before rejoining the PGA Tour as a past champion in 2027. Reed added that he will be eligible to play PGA Tour events later this year.
“I’m a traditionalist at heart, and I was born to play on the PGA Tour, which is where my story began with my wife, Justine,” Reed said in a statement. “I am very fortunate for the opportunities that have come my way and grateful for the life we have created. I am moving forward in my career, and I look forward to competing on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. I can’t wait to get back out there and revisit some of the best places on earth.”
Reed, an honorary lifetime member on the DP World Tour, won the European circuit’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic last Sunday and revealed afterward that he remained a LIV free agent.
“We’re not complete on that year,” Reed said, though he later added, “But at the moment, I plan on teeing it up there in Riyadh, and I’d be surprised if we’re not.”
Instead, Reed’s time with the Saudi-backed league, which he joined during its inaugural season in June 2022 as a member of 4Aces GC, is over. Reed was already set to tee it up in this week’s DPWT event in Bahrain, a week before LIV’s opener in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Reed’s last LIV action came at LIV Michigan, which ended last Aug. 24. The PGA Tour said in a statement that Reed will be eligible to start competing in its events on Aug. 25 of this year, meaning he could compete as a non-member via sponsor exemption in fall tournaments.
Reed could also improve his 2027 status by other means, including the Race to Dubai (Reed currently ranks second) and Q-School (he would be exempt to final stage provided he remains in the OWGR’s top 50). He will not, however, be eligible for the Tour’s equity program until 2031.
“I want to thank everyone involved for helping me make this decision,” Reed added. “Over the last four years, I have learned a lot about myself, about who I am and who I am not, and for that I am forever grateful. To Dustin Johnson, the Aces and LIV Golf, I want to thank you for the memories we shared and created together. To golf fans around the world, I just want to thank you all for your continued support over the years. I just ask that you respect the decision we have made for our family, our children and our future.”
In four seasons with LIV, Reed finished seventh or better in points three times while capturing his lone victory last season at LIV Dallas. Unlike many of his LIV peers, though, Reed stayed busy on other tours, teeing it up 28 times in world-ranked events the past two years alone. Reed finished third at last year’s Masters and T-3 at the BMW PGA last summer, and his win Sunday vaulted him to No. 29 in the Official World Golf Ranking, which still does not award points to LIV events.
Also in Dubai, Reed said he was prepared to pay whatever fines necessary to continue competing on the DPWT, stating, “I’m not going to allow that to deter me from showing support and playing on this tour.”
Reed then added: “If I ended up not playing on LIV this year, obviously it would be one of those things that I would be out here playing more on this tour (DPWT) and trying to secure one of those spots in the top 10 [in the Race to Dubai] and allow myself to get back on the PGA Tour.”
Reed’s planned return to the PGA Tour follows Brooks Koepka being officially reinstated through the newly created Returning Member Program and returning to competition at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open.
The PGA Tour’s Tyler Dennis, chief competitions officer, and Jason Gore, chief player officer, shared in a memo to players that the Tour expects Koepka to be the only player to rejoin via the Returning Member Program, which expires Feb. 2. The memo also provided updates on the status of three former LIV players – Kevin Na, Pat Perez and Hudson Swafford – who the Tour says have all “already reinstated their membership” but “still have outstanding disciplinary violations.” Perez and Swafford are eligible to return to Tour-sanctioned competition on Jan. 1, 2027, while the Tour is still determining Na’s return date.
“We remain committed to strengthening the PGA Tour, serving our fans and welcoming back players who wish to return—through a consistent, policy‑based process,” the Tour’s memo to players read. “We want to ensure fairness to our current members while maintaining competitive integrity and transparency in how we apply the Regulations and non-member policies to former PGA Tour members who seek reinstatement—and to be clear, reinstatement terms are not negotiated or modified on a player‑by‑player basis.”
