LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA | Against the backdrop of Brooks Koepka’s high-profile return to the PGA Tour this week at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Patrick Reed announced Wednesday he will also return to the tour later this year, ending his time with LIV Golf.
It is a second significant body blow to LIV Golf in the past month and it reconfirms the tour’s stated intention under new CEO Brian Rolapp to bring the game’s best players together more often.
Reed does not fall into the returning member program eligibility that allowed Koepka to return immediately but he will be eligible to play as a non-member in tour-sanctioned events beginning Aug. 25, one year since his last LIV appearance. Reed will be eligible to reinstate his PGA Tour membership in 2027 and compete in the past champions category, provided he does not play in any unauthorized events.
Reed, who has a lifetime membership on the DP World Tour, can lock in his full PGA Tour status in 2027 if he finishes among the top 10 on the European circuit’s Race to Dubai rankings, where he currently sits second, or if he wins a fall event on the PGA Tour.
“I’m a traditionalist at heart and I was born to play on the PGA Tour …” – Patrick Reed
He hinted at his intentions after winning the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday, saying he had not signed a new contract with LIV and left open whether he would play in the season opener in Saudi Arabia next week.
Reed, who scored his only LIV victory in Dallas last year, made it official on social media Wednesday.
“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, the 29th-ranked player in the world, posted.
“I am very fortunate for the opportunities that have come my way and grateful for the life I 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.
“I want to thank everyone involved for helping me make this decision. 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.”
Like Koepka, Reed will be ineligible for the PGA Tour’s player equity program through 2030 but, unlike Koepka, he will not be required to make a charitable donation as part of his reinstatement. Reed will also be eligible to play in the 2026 Presidents Cup should he be chosen. He was not among the 11 players who sued the PGA Tour in 2022 after they left for LIV Golf.
In a statement, the PGA Tour clarified Reed’s status.
“As a result of resigning his membership in 2022 prior to violating any PGA Tour Regulations, Patrick is eligible to compete on the PGA Tour as a non-member beginning on August 25, 2026. He may also pursue improved PGA Tour status via the DP World Tour.
“Similar to anyone reinstated under the Returning Member Program, any former PGA Tour member returning to the PGA Tour would be ineligible for participation in the Player Equity Program through 2030,” the statement read.
Beyond Reed, there is the question of what Bryson DeChambeau will do after his LIV contract expires at the end of this year. He has indicated he will consider his options, which could include returning to the PGA Tour.
The statement also updated the status of three former LIV players – Kevin Na, Pat Perez and Hudson Swafford – all of whom have been reinstated as tour members. Perez and Swafford will regain their eligibility on Jan. 1, 2027, after serving disciplinary penalties for violating tour regulations. The tour did not release a date for Na’s eligibility to be restored due to an undisclosed disciplinary matter.
Though Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, has been a controversial figure through his career, his return reinforces the tour’s intention to draw in as many of the top players as possible while further bruising LIV Golf’s lineup.
Beyond Reed, there is the question of what Bryson DeChambeau will do after his LIV contract expires at the end of this year. He has indicated he will consider his options, which could include returning to the PGA Tour. DeChambeau was one of the players who sued the tour almost four years ago.
DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith are eligible to rejoin the tour under the Returning Member Program until Feb. 2. In its statement Wednesday, the tour indicated it did not expect any other players to join Koepka in accepting the offer this year.