Patrick Reed finished really angry at the Masters last Sunday. He left Augusta National with a brilliant third-place finish, just two strokes away from being able to contest the playoff against Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, but the winner of a Green Jacket felt that his level of play would have allowed him to fight for his second victory in the tournament… if it hadn’t been for his putting mistakes.
Regarding his performance in the first round on Thursday, where he signed a scorecard of 71 strokes, one under par, he said: “It was awful, plain and simple. I hit the ball well, missed in the wrong places, and putted like a blind man.” And his opinion didn’t seem to change much after closing the tournament with a total of 279 strokes, nine under par, completing the podium: “The putter killed me, it killed me this week. I lost a chance to win another Green Jacket because of the putter.”
What the Texan might not have thought about at that moment was that thanks to his solo third place at Augusta, he gained an important haul of points for the world ranking, moving from the 116th position he started the week with to the 49th position he begins the next with. In other words, his new position in the OWGR secures him a spot in the PGA Championship next month, the second major of the season, which will be played from May 15 to 18 at Quail Hollow.
The PGA Championship is the last week in which players can earn a spot for the US Open. The top 60 in the world after the tournament will be able to compete in the US Open, and Reed also has it in his hands after missing the 2024 one, ending a streak of 41 consecutive majors. His decision to move to LIV Golf, whose tournaments do not earn ranking points, started to take its toll, forcing him to give his best when playing tournaments with points at stake.
For the Open Championship in July, he will have no problems because he finished among the top three in the International Series in Macao, where three spots were distributed. But from there, he will have to keep fine-tuning for 2025. Reed has four top 10 finishes in the five tournaments he has played outside of LIV this year: in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, within the DP World Tour, in Macao, and at the Masters. As long as things continue like this, he will have to strive not to miss the Majors… except for Augusta, where he has a lifetime spot as a champion.
