Patrick Reed has surged to the top of the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai with two early-season victories, nearly securing a full-time PGA Tour card for 2027. The 2018 Masters champion's strong form has sparked discussions about ending his suspension early to allow him back on the PGA Tour sooner. His success highlights his departure from LIV Golf and focus on the European circuit.
Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, is making waves on the DP World Tour after deciding not to re-sign with LIV Golf and serving a one-year suspension from the PGA Tour, which ends in August. He has won two of his last three starts: the Dubai Desert Classic and the Qatar Masters, with a playoff loss at the Bahrain Championship in between. These results have propelled him to No. 1 in the Race to Dubai with 2,260 points through four tournaments, surpassing the 2,203 points Jordan Smith needed last season for the 10th and final spot granting a PGA Tour card for 2027.
Reed's ascent to No. 17 in the Official World Golf Rankings—ahead of players like Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg—has fueled calls for an early return to the PGA Tour. Golf Channel's Ryan Lavner suggested on the Golf Channel Podcast a 'battlefield promotion' rule: "If you win three times, you should automatically jump to the PGA Tour. They already do it for the Korn Ferry Tour." This comes as Reed had planned to use his past champion status for events like the Scottish Open in July, but his current trajectory might make a full exemption unnecessary.
His itinerary has taken him through Dubai, Bahrain, and Qatar, with upcoming stops in Africa and Asia before Europe. At 35, Reed could become the second American to win the Race to Dubai, following Morikawa in 2021, and the first doing so on a full-time schedule. This positions him as a potential rival to Rory McIlroy, who seeks a fifth straight title. While fans lament his absence from PGA Tour broadcasts, Reed's grinder mentality offers a unique path back to the top.