Patrick Reed: "I never feel overlooked when I come back"

Patrick Reed of the United States speaks to members of the media prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Monday, April 06, 2026.

Patrick Reed does not believe he’s golf’s forgotten man as he chases his second Masters title at Augusta National this week.

The Texan held off Rory McIlroy to win in 2018 and after winning twice on the DP World Tour this season to top the Race to Dubai, he tees it up this week believing he can win another green jacket.

“I never feel overlooked when I come back to being a past champion at Augusta,” said Reed, who has finished in the top ten four times since he outgunned McIlroy six years ago.

“Obviously, love being in this room. It means you're doing something well.

“No, anytime I come out here, it's just kind of one of those things that you put your head down. The stresses over every single golf shot you have here at Augusta, it's one of those places that you're not really thinking about what's going on outside and everything else.

“You're trying to grind every little moment that you are inside the ropes when you're out there on the golf course playing. Hopefully we'll be in here Thursday through Sunday.”

With McIlroy and world number one Scottie Scheffler clearly fancied to win and LIV Golf star’s Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau expected to challenge, Reed is coming in under the radar after a three-week break and feeling confident.

“I always feel really good coming in,” he said. “It's one of these things that, being the first major, you always try to come in and obviously be in great form, but it's very easy to kind of put too much pressure on yourself being the first major.

“The first time I actually kind of decided just to let go and play golf was '18, and that got the job done.”

The former LIV star, who will return to the PGA TOUR fold later this season as he focuses his attention on Europe, made no secret of his desire to win a second green jacket.

“Driving up Magnolia Lane, you always sit there and you always feel really good driving in, especially as a past champion,” he said.

“But hopefully we can make some more memories. The one jacket is getting a little lonely. Might need one more.”

He will attend the Masters Club dinner hosted by McIlroy on Tuesday but there will be Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson present for the first time since 1994.

“With Tiger, I think everyone is probably in the same boat, that they're just very grateful that he's okay and that everyone else that was involved is okay,” Reed said of Woods and his decision to seek help for the issues that led to a recent car crash and driving under the influence arrest.

“Hopefully he's able to kind of get a speedy recovery and get back here to golf as fast as he can.

“Let's be honest, without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the events, in golf, when they both step away, honestly I feel it hurts the game of golf, but at the same time, we want them to come back and be healthy and ready to go.”

As for his decision not to accept his contract renewal offer from LIV Golf, he insisted it came down to family in the end.

“No, we had an offer, but at the end of the day, it was kind of one of those that, when I sat down at the end of the day and talked with my wife and my team, I just felt like the best decision for us was to come back and join the PGA TOUR so I could be closer to home and with the family,” he said.

“Yeah, there's nothing that I felt like was going on between LIV and us or anything like that.

“Like I said, we had a contract, had a deal, but at the end of the day, I felt like the best thing for us was to come to the PGA TOUR again.”