Why there’s a possibility that Patrick Reed’s incredible 10-year record may come to an end
Patrick Reed might skip the Valhalla PGA Championship, marking his first Major withdrawal in ten years.
The American’s run of success began at the 2014 Masters and has now spanned 39 tournaments. In April, he will have achieved that feat thanks to his 2018 Masters triumph, which earned him a lifetime exemption to the Augusta National Major. However, considering his present global standing, the LIV Golf star might be relying on an invitation to compete in the second Major of the year in May.
Despite his Masters triumph earning him a spot at all four Majors for five years, Reed is currently not participating in any of the other three Majors this year.
The top 100 players in the world rankings typically earn invitations to the PGA Championship; however, the 33-year-old, who regularly competes on the Asian Tour between his commitments to LIV Golf—which does not grant its players world ranking points—has not been able to prevent himself from falling to 109th place.
When Reed signed with LIV Golf in June 2022, he was rated 36th in the world. But in September of that same year, he dropped out of the top 50 for the first time since 2014, and the decline has largely continued ever since.
Reed returned to No. 45 in the world rankings, a welcome boost following his fourth-place showing at the Masters last year. Nevertheless, Reed has not been able to prevent himself from dropping out of the vital top 100, even though he has participated in six more world ranking events subsequently, including the final three Majors in 2023.
Reed is registered for this week’s International Series Macau; if he wins the Asian Tour tournament, he might be added to the field. If not, he’s got an incredible overall record at The Masters, with three top-10 finishes and a win. Maybe next month, he could still be able to get into Valhalla with another strong performance.
In 2023, Patrick Reed at the Masters
Patrick Reed has a good record at The Masters.
(Image sourced from Getty Images)
And he could still receive an invitation. One LIV Golf player who has already guaranteed his berth with that approach is Joaquin Niemann. According to Doug Ferguson of the AP, Kerry Haigh, the Chief Championship Officer for the PGA of America, said more will be distributed after this week’s TPC Sawgrass Players Championship.
Haigh also talked on how the invites were chosen, stressing that consideration is given to more than just the world’s top 100. “We definitely use that list, along with other lists from various tours around the world,” he said. Nothing about it is new or different from what we’ve done before, and we might decide to do it again.”
Apart from the PGA Championship, Reed’s participation in the US Open and The Open is also uncertain, and his place in the world ranking will be a determining factor once more. With his current world ranking, he would need to place at least 60th in the US Open and in the top 50 at The Open to qualify.
But it wouldn’t be all for nothing, as Reed could still qualify to play in the final two Majors of the year if necessary.
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