Reed quits LIV Golf and announces PGA Tour return this year
Patrick Reed dealt LIV Golf a blow as they announced format updates for the new season by revealing he’s quit the Saudi-funded circuit and plans to return to the PGA Tour later this year.
Just 48 hours after revealing he had not yet re-signed with LIV for 2026, the 2018 Masters champion said in a statement he’d be "returning to the PGA Tour as a past champion member" for the 2027 season.
"After careful thought and consideration, my family and I have decided that I will no longer compete on the LIV Golf Tour,” Reed said.
"I will continue to compete and play as an Honorary Lifetime Member on the DP World Tour, which is something that I am truly honoured and excited to do.
"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.”
According to a PGA Tour memo sent to members, former LIV Golf members Kevin Na, Hudson Swafford, and Pat Perez have all applied to return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf but would remain ineligible until January 1, 2027.
The PGA Tour said that given Reed (35) resigned his PGA Tour membership “prior to violating any Tour regulations”, he’s eligible to return to competition on August 25 this year as a non-member, “provided that he complies with Tour regulations and does not participate in additional unauthorised events.”
He would be eligible to participate in FedExCup Fall events as a non-member and could accept sponsor exemptions or participate in open qualifying for those tournaments before playing out of the past champion category in 2027.
The Texan won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday and hinted that if he opted not to re-sign with LIV Golf, he could earn one of ten PGA Tour cards via the 2026 Race to Dubai, which would be an improvement on past champion status.
Like Brooks Koepka, who left LIV Golf under the "Returning Member Program" and reappears in the Farmers Insurance Open this week, Reed would be ineligible to participate in the Player Equity Program through 2030.
Reed did not meet the Returning Member Program criteria established earlier this month by the PGA Tour, which only apply to players who have won a major championship or The Players since 2022.
However, he is now eligible to potentially receive a captain’s pick for September’s Presidents Cup and fight for a Ryder Cup return at Adare in 2027.
Reacting to Reed’s departure, LIV Golf said: "We were not able to come to terms with Patrick on a potential contract extension. We're grateful for everything he contributed during his time on the 4Aces at LIV Golf and wish him the best.
"LIV has always been an advocate for player movement and recognises that when golf settles into a new normal, players will not only have the right, but the opportunity to play golf when and where they want.
"As we look forward, our focus remains on building teams and a league that fans can believe in and players enjoy-those who compete at the highest level, play the game the right way, and understand the responsibility to grow the game around the world by engaging fans and celebrating partners.
"We're building the world's golf league and every decision we make is guided by what's best for the long-term future of the game, our players, and fans."
The LIV Golf League, meanwhile, announced that 11 players (20pc) will be relegated in 2026, up from just six last year, potentially improving its chances of being awarded world ranking points.
To better reward consistent high performance across the season, LIV Golf is introducing updated competitive thresholds to the season-long individual standings in 2026:
The Lock Zone expands to the Top 34 players in the standings (approximately 60% of the 57-player field, up from the Top 24 players from 2022-2025)
The Open Zone includes players finishing in positions 35-46 in the standings (approximately 20% of the 57-player field, reduced from 24 spots from 2022-25)
The Drop Zone (Relegation) expands to positions 47-57 in the standings (approximately 20% of the 57-player field, up from the bottom 6 players in 2024-2025
As part of LIV Golf's continued investment in team golf, the League is increasing total team-retained prize funding by $5 million per event, meaning:
Weekly team prize payouts will double from $5 million to $10 million
All 13 teams will now earn prize money each week based on finishing position, rather than only the top three teams
The 2026 season introduces a new points system that increases the total number of points distributed, awards points to all finishing places and puts increased emphasis on top performers
In addition, the League is introducing a new $2.3 million per-event prize pool in 2026 to reward individual player performances within podium-finishing teams each week.
In total, the League’s 14-event season will reward $470 million in individual and team purses for 2026 performance.
However, Reed’s bombshell adds interest to his appearance in the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, where Pádraig Harrington makes his 499th DP World Tour appearance.
Harrington (54) remains convinced that if he can patiently wait for his game to click this term, he can put himself in position with nine holes to go and bid to become the DP World Tour’s oldest winner.
Missed cuts in the Dubai Invitational and the Dubai Desert Classic have certainly not dimmed his enthusiasm.
“I’ve worked on a few things that I’m very happy about,” Harrington said.
“It’s still early in the season, so there’s still a little bit too many talks in the head – I’d like a few of those to quieten down and simplify a few – but where I’m at, I’m looking forward to a strong year.
“There were a couple of things that probably weren’t great last year. I seemed to have worked through them, so I’m very comfortable with where I’m at.
“I’m a little bit impatient, though, you’re always wanting it to happen right now, but in terms of long-term, I’m looking forward to a long season.”
Meanwhile, Gary Hurley, Ronan Mullarney, Liam Nolan, Conor Purcell and Max Kennedy start the 2026 HotelPlanner Tour campaign in the SDC Open in South Africa.
Like Nolan, Kennedy had an excellent rookie season last year, while Purcell returns from the DP World Tour.
Mullarney steps up from the Alps Tour, while Hurley makes his first start since suffering an injury that’s kept him sidelined since the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December 2024.
