What Next For Patrick Reed After Leaving LIV Golf?

Patrick Reed has confirmed he is leaving LIV Golf with immediate effect ahead of the new season starting next week in order to pursue a return to the PGA Tour.

The 2018 Masters champion said he is a "traditionalist at heart" and was "born to play on the PGA Tour" in a statement after revealing this weekend following his Dubai Desert Classic win that he had not yet signed a new LIV deal.

So, what next for Reed and when will he be able to return to the PGA Tour?

Unlike Brooks Koepka, Reed is not allowed an immediate return via the Returning Member Program due to not fulfilling the criteria of winning a Major or The Players Championship between 2022-2025.

Instead, he will be forced to sit out a 12-month suspension, dating back to his last LIV Golf appearance in late August.

He will be able to play as a member in 2027 via a past champion category, having won nine times on the circuit - although he could improve that this year and earn full status on the DP World Tour.

What could Reed's 2026 schedule look like?

It means Reed will be eligible to play in PGA Tour events from August 26th, which is a key date for a couple of reasons.

The end of August date ensures he will be eligible for the US Presidents Cup team for Medinah as a captain's pick, which is a PGA Tour-organized competition where the Americans face off against the International side.

The man known as 'Captain America' has missed the last three Ryder Cups and the last two Presidents Cups.

Reed will also be eligible to play in PGA Tour FedEx Cup Fall tournaments via sponsor's invitations, which he is surely almost guaranteed to get. He will also be eligible to Monday qualify his way in, but that will likely not be needed.

His presence as a returning PGA Tour player would help add more intrigue to the events that usually suffer with fan interest due to weaker fields following the regular season.

The first FedEx Cup Fall tournament isn't until September 17th at the Biltmore Championship, which is the same week as the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. He'll likely play the Wentworth event, which is a week before the Presidents Cup.

There are seven PGA Tour events in October and November, although the DP World Tour Play-Offs are in November, too, so in all likelihood he will only play a couple of fall events in the US before his full PGA Tour return in January 2027.

In terms of what is in Reed's immediate future, he will be playing on the DP World Tour this season, and perhaps the Asian Tour too.

He is teeing it up in Bahrain this week and will add more tournaments on the European Tour as the year goes on.

"I will continue to compete and play as an honorary lifetime member on the DP World Tour, which is something that I am truly honored and excited to do," he said.

Reed will now be among the favorites to lift the Race to Dubai title and will likely earn full PGA Tour status via the Race to Dubai rankings, which offer ten cards to the US circuit for the top finishers.

He is up to 2nd in the Race to Dubai rankings following his Dubai Desert Classic victory and will be the top-ranked player on the circuit who is playing a full season, with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton usually only playing four or five tournaments.

What next for LIV Golf after Patrick Reed's exit?

It's another major blow to LIV Golf, which has lost five-time Major champion Brooks Koepka and now 2018 Masters champion Reed this winter.

Kevin Na has also departed - and he's trying to rejoin the PGA Tour - while Henrik Stenson was another big name to go via relegation.

Reed leaves an open spot on Dustin Johnson's 4Aces GC roster, meaning the league is now having to scramble for a fourth player on the team with just seven days to go until the start of the new season in Riyadh.

The Texan's departure weakens LIV's field, unless they sign a player of his calibre to replace him, and signals a continuing strength of the PGA Tour since its $1.5bn investment from the Sports Strategic Group and Brian Rolapp's appointment as CEO.

It seems, from the outside looking in, that some of LIV's big names could well be wishing they were on the PGA Tour train with the league still not able to offer world ranking points, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup points or a route into The Masters and PGA Championship.

Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith have all said they will be staying amid the Returning Member Program offer, and multiple big names have renewed their contracts like Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, so the league is not going anywhere yet - as I recently wrote.

But it's hard to argue that losing Koepka and Reed is anything but another huge blow for the PIF-funded tour, which continues to look more and more global amid a PGA Tour that is gaining momentum.