Patrick Reed secured a four-shot victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, his first non-co-sanctioned win on the DP World Tour. The 2018 Masters champion revealed post-round that he has not yet signed a contract with LIV Golf for the 2026 season. This win boosts his Official World Golf Ranking to No. 29, easing his path to the majors.
Patrick Reed cruised to a four-shot victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, finishing at 14 under par. The American, playing as a LIV Golf member with 4Aces GC, held a four-shot lead after 54 holes and closed with a 1-over 72 to win ahead of England's Andy Sullivan. Spain's David Puig, a fellow LIV player, challenged early, cutting the lead to two at the turn but faltered with bogeys on holes 13 and 15. Puig appeared set for a tie for third after a closing par, but a two-shot penalty for grounding his club in a greenside bunker on the 18th dropped him to a tie for seventh, costing him $276,300 in prize money.
Reed's triumph marks his fifth DP World Tour win and his first since the 2020 WGC-Mexico Championship. It earned him $1.5 million and propels him to No. 29 in the Official World Golf Rankings, securing easier qualification for the 2026 majors outside the Masters, where he holds a lifetime exemption. "It's always nice to lock up the majors," Reed said. "To be a guy that earned my World Ranking points out here in the majors, to sit there and have as little amount of events that I've played to be in the Top 30 is something that it shows that my golf game still where I want it to be."
In his winner's press conference, Reed disclosed he is currently a free agent, with LIV's 2026 season opener in Riyadh on February 4 approaching. "We're still finalizing the [LIV Golf] contract. We're not complete on that yet," he said. Though expecting to play, Reed outlined an alternative: focusing on the DP World Tour to finish in the top 10 of the Race to Dubai and regain PGA Tour status. "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 and trying to secure one of those spots in the top 10 and allow myself to get back on the PGA Tour," he added. Reed, a lifetime DP World Tour member, is prepared to pay fines for conflicting LIV events, stating, "I'd rather just tee it up and play, and [if it] costs me this, whatever, I'll go play. Play well and it offsets."
Rory McIlroy finished tied for 33rd at 2 under, missing a chance at a record fifth title. Reed next competes in Bahrain alongside Sergio Garcia.
