College King Joins LIV, Patrick Reed's Surprising PGA Tour Admission And Two Stacked Fields: This Week In Golf

This Week In Golf: Our weekly look at the biggest stories in professional golf, tournament previews and other key details you need to know.

Yet another hectic week in the men's game has already taken place, with around half of it still to go and two mouth-watering tournaments either side of the Atlantic capable of churning out even more news.

The main women's tours are yet to spring into action, and neither has the Asian Tour which is due to begin in early February.

Nevertheless, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour have been carrying the load efficiently between them, with LIV also chipping in courtesy of multiple key storylines.

Here's everything you need to know about what is going on in golf this week as well as a catch-up on the biggest stories to have already occurred.

THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

Following on from last week's Sony Open in Hawaii, the PGA Tour moves over to California for the start of the West Coast Swing and The American Express.

Not only is this event normally a fun shootout for the players and fans, 2026 will see World No.1 Scottie Scheffler kick off his year in a very strong field.

Other big names to be battling it out across La Quinta Country Club, the Pete Dye Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course include Ludvig Aberg, Sam Burns, Robert MacIntyre and Patrick Cantlay. The field will play each of the aforementioned courses once before a cut is made ahead of Sunday's final round.

And, the reward for following in Sepp Straka's footsteps has been increased, with the overall prize money purse rising by $400,000 to $9.2 million this year.

DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

Speaking of impressive fields, the Dubai Desert Classic is one of the DP World Tour's most prestigious events of the year and - as such - has a line-up to match at Emirates Golf Club.

Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and defending champion Tyrrell Hatton are all involved this week and actually tee off together in the first two rounds.

Elsewhere, Dustin Johnson, Victor Perez and Patrick Reed are make up a small portion of the LIV golfers in the Dubai Desert Classic field.

And, because of the event's status as a Rolex Series tournament, there is a $9 million prize purse on the line in Dubai.

PATRICK REED'S PGA TOUR ADMISSION

Speaking to Golf Digest's Evin Priest and The Telegraph's James Corrigan, Patrick Reed admitted he would consider going back to the PGA Tour if offered the same terms as Brooks Koepka was via the Returning Member Program.

Reed won The Masters in 2018 but does not qualify to make his PGA Tour return from LIV Golf due to the parameters involved. If he was, the nine-time PGA Tour winner revealed he might well switch circuits again.

Reed said: "I mean, of course. If it were up to me, I'd play everywhere. I'm already playing on three tours, why not add one more?” he added with a laugh.

“I always enjoyed my time out there on the PGA Tour. Let's be honest, out there, it's the best tour in the world. Look at what they've done in golf … I could see myself playing there at some point again. But right now, you just never know; everything's so fluid.”

• Read More: Should The PGA Tour Tweak Its Returning Member Program To Lure More LIV Golfers Back?

MICHAEL LA SASSO JOINED LIV GOLF

Arguably the most surprising news of the week arrived on Tuesday when it was announced that NCAA D1 Men's Golf champion Michael La Sasso had joined Phil Mickelson's HyFlyers in the LIV Golf League.

The former University of Mississippi golfer achieved First Team All-American honors and set the lowest single-season scoring average in Ole Miss history (69.48) before winning the NCAA championship by two strokes from Texas A&M's Phichaksn Maichon last year.

La Sasso was expected to join the PGA Tour in the coming years but has made the decision to sign for its PIF-backed rivals instead.

As a result of turning pro immediately, La Sasso consequently forfeited his place at The Masters and will make his LIV debut in Riyadh next month.

MATEO PULCINI WINS LAAC, BOOKS MAJOR SPOTS

Argentina's Mateo Pulcini is heading to The Masters, the US Open and The Open Championship this year after winning the 11th edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship.

Pulcini won in a play-off against Venezuela’s Virgilio Paz Valdes after both fired closing rounds of 68 to finish on five-under-par, two clear of Tomas Restrepo of Colombia and Paraguay’s Erich Fortlage.

The Argentinian managed to prevail on the second extra hole, making par as his rival stumbled at the critical moment.

Ranked 174th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Pulcini is the oldest champion in the 11-year history of the championship and the third from Argentina after 2020 winner Abel Gallegos and 2023 winner Mateo Fernández de Oliveira.

DUSTIN JOHNSON LIV CONTRACT LENGTH REVEALED

Dustin Johnson signed a new contract with LIV Golf's 4Aces last week, but it wasn't until the past couple of days that the exact length of his deal was shared publicly.

Traditionally, LIV has not revealed the length of any player's contract, but Johnson's team broke with tradition on social media and shared that not only was the two-time Major winner's original contract five years but his new terms would retain Johnson through 2029.

Johnson is among the field for the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour this week before returning to action with LIV in Riyadh next month.

GOLF BALL ROLLBACK DATE COULD BE TWEAKED

The R&A and USGA have suggested the date for the golf ball rollback may be pushed back after a letter was shared with manufacturers that said the two governing bodies were "interested in soliciting views on a possible change" from the two separate dates initially proposed into a single date - specifically January 2030.

While plans have been made to continue with the two-phase approach, affecting pros in 2028 and amateurs from 2030, "several stakeholders have expressed concerns" surrounding issues that could arise if that does happen.

Consequently, The R&A and USGA has asked for opinions on the subject "no later than February 15" with a view to either tweaking or ploughing ahead with their original plans, ready for 2028 when the elite level of the sport would be affected.

MINI TWIGS - WHAT ELSE TO KNOW

• Aldrich Potgieter has joined Marco Penge in signing with PXG
• LAGC defeated Jupiter Links GC 8-4 in the latest round of TGL on Tuesday night
• A life-size statue of Seve Ballesteros has gone missing from the Spanish legend's home town of Pedreña
• Rory McIlroy has shared an updated shortlist of career goals after a historic 2025
• The first crop of WTGL players were unveiled - Jeeno Thitikul, Charley Hull, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson
• A whole host of new gear was unveiled, including new Vokey SM11 wedges, a new range of Scotty Cameron putters and Bridgestone Tour B golf balls