American Patrick Reed has shown he’s serious about looking to land this year’s European Tour Race to Dubai with the current No.1 on the Tour’s money list teeing-up in this week’s BMW PGA Championship, the third Rolex Series event of 2020.
The 2018 Masters winning hero has won eight times in his pro career but is yet to taste victory in a regular European Tour event, but that could all change this week on the famed ‘Burma Road’ West course at Wentworth.
And while the Texan has been in the spotlight of late for all the wrong reasons, there is no questioning his commitment to this week’s flagship European Tour event when there are many European-born players, including a four-time Major winner and also a fellow Open Champion and Wentworth winner, who lived close to the course, instead teeing-up this week on the PGA Tour.
Reed made his Wentworth debut a year ago and superbly shared fourth place – it was one of seven top 20 finishes he recorded on the European Tour in 2019.
A year earlier, Reed finished second in the Race to Dubai behind Italy’s Francesco Molinari.
“I really enjoyed my first time at the BMW PGA Championship last year,” said Reed.
“The great reception I got from the fans in the UK was obviously a big part of that so it’s obviously a shame they can’t be there this week, but I’m sure they will be watching on TV and it will be another fantastic tournament.
“I’m looking forward to playing Wentworth again. It’s a great course and another really strong field so hopefully I can play well again and do even better than I did on my debut last year.”
World Number Nine Reed, who won the WGC-Mexico Championship earlier this year, returned to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex after finishing tied 13th in the US Open at Winged Foot. He holds a 28 point lead at the top of the European Tour’s season-long standings and after finishing runner up to Francesco Molinari in the 2018 Race to Dubai, he is hoping to go one better this time round.
“There’s a lot of golf still to be played, including the Masters, but I’ve given myself a great chance of winning the Race to Dubai,” said Reed, who received Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour at the start of 2019. “A victory in the BMW PGA Championship would certainly help me in that goal.”
Joining Reed this week will be fellow Masters winner and defending BMW PGA winner, Danny Willett along with the strong England foursome of Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose – all of whom are in the world’s top 25 – plus Ryder Cup legends Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer.
Also teeing-up is reigning Open Champion Shane Lowry and fellow Irishman and double Open winner, Padraig Harrington.
The BMW PGA Championship is the second consecutive Rolex Series event on the European Tour following last week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, won by Aaron Rai who beat fellow Englishman Fleetwood in a play-off.
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