Another headache for LIV Golf. Patrick Reed drops a small but significant bombshell as the circuit is still recovering from the impact of Brooks Koepka‘s return to the PGA Tour. According to statements collected by The Telegraph during the Dubai Desert Classic —a tournament he is playing this week on the DP World Tour— the American acknowledged that he would consider leaving LIV Golf and returning to the PGA Tour if offered conditions similar to those recently granted to Brooks Koepka. A message that, besides stirring the board a bit more, represents another front for LIV Golf.
The 35-year-old player has been clear about his possible return. He explained that right now the decision to return is not in his hands, but hinted that it would all depend on whether the PGA Tour expanded the criteria of its newly created Returning Members Program. “I mean, that option was for players who won Majors from 2022 onwards. I would certainly have to think about it if that date were moved back to 2018.”
The PGA Tour’s return programme was designed to allow the reintegration of players who, in addition to having competed in LIV for at least two seasons, had won a major since 2022. That is, Brooks, Rahm, Smith and DeChambeau. Reed is excluded due to timing, as he won the Masters in 2018.
When asked directly if he would like to return to the PGA Tour, his response was straightforward: “Of course. I mean, if it were up to me, I would play everywhere. I’m already playing on three circuits – LIV, the DP World Tour and the Asian Tour – so why not add one more?”
He also left a striking message when talking about the American circuit, considering he is a LIV player: “I always enjoyed my time there, on the PGA Tour. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s the best circuit in the world. Look at what they’ve done in golf. You know, I could see myself playing there again at some point.”
Reed is part of the 4Aces team, precisely captained by Dustin Johnson, who is also competing this week at the Emirates Golf Club. Johnson also recently signed a multi-year extension with LIV.
Although it doesn’t seem like it, it’s also unclear whether Reed is in his final year of contract with LIV —as is the case with Bryson DeChambeau— or if these statements are a strategy to gain negotiating strength for a possible new agreement. In any case, his financial situation doesn’t seem to be a decisive factor: he signed an initial bonus that, according to reports, was around 50 million dollars, and has accumulated almost 40 million more in prizes during his four seasons in the league.
There is a detail to consider. Unlike Koepka, Reed does not have full-time status on the PGA Tour. If he wanted to return, he would need to go through alternative routes: direct qualification, trying to get one of the 10 PGA Tour cards offered each year by the DP World Tour or some ad hoc category.
Meanwhile, Reed continues to compete at a high pace. Despite being banned by the PGA Tour, he managed to play 32 tournaments in 2025, a figure well above most LIV players, considering the league only has 14 stops on its calendar. Reed combined 10 DP World Tour tournaments, the four Majors, and continuous presence also on the Asian Tour.
His performance has also sustained his position in the world ranking. His third place at the Masters confirmed his current competitiveness, and he won the LIV event in Dallas last year. He is currently one of the only three LIV players within the top 50, and the Majors remain his priority.
With that goal, his European schedule continues unabated. After finishing 26th on Sunday at the Dubai Invitational, he competes this week in the Dubai Desert Classic and next week will play the Bahrain Championship, thus linking three DP World Tour tournaments in three weeks. Additionally, the Majlis Course brings back recent memories: three years ago, he almost won there in a duel that ended in the hands of Rory McIlroy.
In parallel, Reed also continues to nurture his relationship with the DP World Tour. LIV has paid approximately 4 million dollars in fines to the European circuit to allow him to compete in their tournaments, although from this year the players will bear those sanctions. “Yes, from this year, the fines will fall on the players, not on LIV,” Reed explained. Despite everything, the American acknowledges that if an agreement is not reached between Wentworth and Riyadh to unlock the participation of LIV players in the DP World Tour, he is willing to continue paying: “I hope there is a solution, especially for a guy who has always come, always supported this circuit… This circuit is amazing and I’m not going to let a couple of fines stand in my way.” If there is no global solution, the annual cost to keep that door open could be around a million dollars.
Reed has also never hidden his competitive ambition. His history in the Ryder Cup —three participations before turning 28— made him a particularly recognisable profile in the American team, with the nickname “Captain America.” And he has not stopped expressing his desire to be back in that dynamic, with an eye on 2027, when the competition will be held at Adare Manor, Ireland.
For now, Reed plays this week in Dubai as a member of LIV, but with a PGA Tour discourse. In a golf world that is still in full reorganisation, his statement has already opened a conversation that is unlikely to die down quickly.
