‘If I Were Patrick Reed, I’d Be Actively Pursuing A Return To The PGA Tour’

'Inside The Ropes' is the chance for Golf Monthly's tour experts to share their honest opinions on the biggest subjects in the game. This week, it's all about Patrick Reed.

Where will Patrick Reed play the majority of his golf in 2026? Will it be LIV - where he has been since 2022 - or will Captain America return to the historic circuit based out of TPC Sawgrass?

Could he, perhaps, even ply his trade on the DP World Tour with a view to re-joining the PGA Tour in 2027 through the Race To Dubai rankings?

In all likelihood, based on Reed's own words, the 2018 Masters champion will probably sign a new contract with LIV and play for the 4Aces once more.

However, said contract remains free of the 35-year-old's signature and some of his comments in recent days have only served to muddy the water in relation to what he might do.

Sparked by Brooks Koepka's move back to the PGA Tour, Reed was asked by Golf Digest's Evin Priest and The Telegraph's James Corrigan prior to the Dubai Desert Classic whether he would, hypothetically, consider making a return to the PGA Tour one day if offered the same terms as his former Ryder Cup teammate.

Reed confirmed he would - saying "of course" - and went on to call the PGA Tour the "best in the world."

He said: "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.”

Then, in his winner's press conference at Emirates Golf Club, Reed shared that he was technically a free agent as it stands but predicted he was more than likely to be in the field for LIV Golf Riyadh on February 4.

Asked if he may have played his final LIV event last season, Reed replied: "Not that I know of. Not right now. Really just all kind of depends on everything. I mean, I haven't talked to the team back home or anything like that. But at the moment, I plan on teeing it up there in Riyadh, and I'd be surprised if we're not."

Although the 12-time pro winner briefly calmed any gossip around his future, Reed later went on to comprehensively outline his hypothetical plans if he left LIV Golf, suggesting he has given the idea more than a brief moment's thought.

He said: "Yeah, I mean, 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 [the DP World Tour] and trying to secure one of those spots in the Top 10, and allow myself to get back on the PGA Tour."

So what will Reed do in 2026 and beyond? And, to that end, should the PGA Tour drop the drawbridge to allow him back on a similar basis to Koepka? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below this article. Meanwhile, four of our tour experts have had their say.

Nick Bonfield

If I were Patrick Reed, I'd be actively pursuing a return to the PGA Tour. He revealed after his win in Dubai that he still hasn't signed his LIV Golf contract for the 2026 season, which means he's technically a free agent.

He sounded receptive to the idea of a PGA Tour return just last week and I'd be surprised if Brian Rolapp didn't want him, given he's a past Major winner, a very good player and, importantly in this era of identikit (some would say boring) golfers, a bit of a pantomime villain.

Reed has already made a huge amount of money from LIV, but that doesn't seem to be what motivates him. He plays all around the world – he competed on LIV, the Asian Tour and the DP World Tour last year – and clearly loves competing.

Now seems the right time for a return to the PGA Tour, especially given there's precedent. However, it remains to be seen what terms, if any, would be offered by the PGA Tour as Reed hasn't won a Major in the last five years.

If he's welcomed back, it would potentially open the door to several other LIV players in Reed's tier, which could cause some issues, including upsetting the PGA Tour membership.

Jonny Leighfield

I wrote last week, when we were discussing whether the PGA Tour should tweak its Returning Member Program to lure more LIV golfers back, that there were 10 or fewer players on the PIF-backed circuit that who most people would actively like to see come back.

In my eyes, one of those is Patrick Reed. Love him or loathe him, Captain America stirs the emotions in golf fans and increases the value of any field he is in given his past record and victory at The Masters in 2018.

From the PGA Tour's point of view, I think it would be extremely prudent for it to strike while the iron is hot. And until Reed scribbles his signature on that new LIV Golf contract, he is up for grabs.

I feel it would be a really good move if the PGA Tour could follow up the signing of Brooks Koepka by bringing as many of that aforementioned top-10 back from LIV as it can. Plus, now that one has gone, perhaps it's only a matter of time until more follow.

As far as Reed goes, I can't help but feel he wouldn't be making all of this noise about contracts and potential future plans if he wasn't at least seriously considering it or - at most - actively pursuing it.

Reed's actions appear to signal a 'come and get me' plea to the PGA Tour, which could benefit the DP World Tour as well if he opts to play there all season before earning one of the 10 dual status cards in November.

Either way, it doesn't seem like Reed is 100% committed to the LIV Golf League, and that would concern me if I was on the team-golf circuit's side of the fence...

Elliott Heath

Patrick Reed has clearly been seriously considering his options given the fact he has not yet renewed his deal with LIV Golf.

I think Reed is worthy of the PGA Tour rewriting its Returning Member Program and get him back instantly given he is a Masters champion and just won the Dubai Desert Classic, and Brian Rolapp could well be working on that behind the scenes right now - although I am doubtful.

Reed is clearly a world class player and the fact he is ranked 29th in the world while playing on LIV Golf shows that. I think he should leave LIV, play a year on the DP World Tour, try and win the Race to Dubai and earn his PGA Tour status back for 2027.

He has a young family so surely would enjoy spending a bit more time in America, and he could still balance both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. If Reed plays primarily in Europe this year, he will surely win another one or two tournaments and return to the PGA Tour as a hot property.

He can win out on the PGA Tour next year and return to the world’s top-10, play in all the Majors, The Players Championship and Signature Events and automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team. He will still be earning shed loads of cash, get to spend more time playing on home soil and be recognized as one of the game’s best golfers.

Reed fell outside of the top-100 last year, failed to qualify for two Majors in 2024 and missed the 2023 and 2025 Ryder Cup teams due to, in the most part, playing on LIV Golf, and that surely didn’t sit too well with him. While a return to LIV seems inevitable, I certainly would not be surprised to see him go the other route.

Matt Cradock

We never know what goes on behind the scenes but, when it comes to what Patrick Reed should do, I think he should try and make his return to the PGA Tour - whether that's via earning his card on the DP World Tour, or by liaising with the PGA Tour's commissioner, Brian Rolapp.

Personally, I think Rolapp would want him back on the PGA Tour, given he's a big name and a character that will draw eye balls to the event. Therefore, I think the PGA Tour would benefit going after him, since he is playing some excellent golf.

What do I think will happen? Well, given that Reed is comfortably inside the top-50 of the World Rankings, and is set to play in DP World Tour and Asian Tour events, I can't seem him falling out of Major qualification (he's automatically qualified for The Masters thanks to his 2018 win).

Because of this, I think he will remain on LIV for now, especially as his 4Aces side are coming together nicely with the addition of Thomas Detry and captain Dustin Johnson signing on until 2029. This is despite Reed recently saying he'd "definitely" consider leaving LIV to return to the PGA Tour.

I think the best move would be to try and get back on the PGA Tour, but as Reed continues to play some great golf, he may well stay put where he is, given that his game doesn't seem to be as affected as some.