Patrick Reed Out Of Dunhill Links Championship

Patrick Reed will miss the Dunhill Links Championship after reportedly developing a bad back caused by an unsupportive mattress at last week's French Open.

Confirmation of the former Masters winner’s participation caused quite a stir on social media last week, with people questioning a schedule that has seen him play LIV Boston and Chicago with a trip to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship in between, then a return to Europe for the French Open last week.

Playing the Dunhill Links in Scotland would have been five weeks straight, with numerous trans-Atlantic flights thrown in too. Some LIV Golfers have given wanting to play less golf and spend more time with their family as reasons to join Greg Norman’s breakaway, so Reed’s schedule had raised a few eyebrows.

When his name disappeared from the Dunhill Links entry list, speculation began over Reed's reasoning. Was it was the reaction to his participation, the disappointment at missing the cut in France, or something else? According to IrishGolfer.ie, an overly soft mattress in Versailles is to blame.

“The mattress was just too soft for me," the 32-year-old told IrishGolfer.ie. "I played well in the pro-am but the pain in my back was getting worse. It’s disappointing as I was looking forward to coming back to France after being there for the Ryder Cup. I first played the Dunhill Links back in 2011. It was my first European Tour event, so that’s another event I was looking forward to playing.”

Reed has fallen out of the top 50 in the world for the first time since 2014 after his disappointment at Le Golf National. He was up with the leaders in his opening round at 3-under par before dropping five shots in the final four holes to post a two-over 73. He followed that up with a second round 72 to miss the cut by three strokes.

The 2018 Masters champion is a lifetime member of the DP World Tour, but has complained of the Tour’s treatment of LIV players recently. In France he likened his treatment to 'a slap in the face', having not been selected to give a press conference despite being the only Major winner in the field.

The Dunhill Links Championship is held over three of the best golf courses in Scotland - Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, starting on Thursday. While Reed is no longer in the field, a number of LIV players will tee it up, including Talor Gooch and Louis Oosthuizen. LIV players are currently able to continue playing on the DP World Tour while the final court ruling on their suspensions, due in February, is awaited.