Dubai Desert Classic champion Patrick Reed leaves LIV Golf to rejoin PGA Tour

Newly-crowned Dubai Desert Classic champion American Patrick Reed has decided to follow in the footsteps of countryman Brooks Koepka by leaving the LIV Golf league to return to the PGA Tour later this season.

"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," Reed said on social media. "I am very fortunate for the opportunities that have come my way and grateful for the life we have created. I am moving forward in my career, and I look forward to competing on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. I can't wait to get back out there and revisit some of the best places on earth."

It was a family decision, Reed later told ESPN, adding that he wanted to be able to stay closer to his family.

The PGA Tour had sent a memo to players outlining the path back for players like Reed, who did not fit into the "Returning Member Programme" that was offered only to those who had won a major or The Players Championship since 2022, an offer that was taken up by five-time major winner and former world No 1 Koepka.

Reed said he was returning to the US circuit "as a past champion member for the 2027 season and am eligible to begin competing in PGA Tour events later this year."

The American won the Masters in 2018. The Tour said he would be eligible to return a year from his last LIV Golf appearance on Aug. 24, 2025. He would not face additional discipline from the PGA Tour because Reed resigned his membership when he left for LIV, and he was not part of the antitrust lawsuit filed against the PGA Tour in 2022.

ESPN reported he would be eligible to tee it up on the PGA Tour on August 25.

Reed can play in the FedEx Cup Fall – the first event is the Biltmore Championship Asheville in North Carolina on Sept. 17-20 – if he receives a sponsor exemption. He cannot use his limited status as a past champion until 2027.

Reed could also earn a full card by finishing among the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai who don't already have PGA Tour membership. His victory in Dubai moved him to No 2 in the standings, and now he has a full schedule on the DP World Tour ahead of him.

He is also set for the four majors, having risen to No 29 in the world.

"I always saw myself coming back to the PGA Tour," Reed told ESPN. "I know I have to earn my way back, and I'm OK with that."