Patrick Reed is the perfect example of a global golfer. Nobody wants Captain America to be the hero in golf’s civil war but he might be the one we need.
Rory McIlroy is trying to be the leader of the band in banging his drum at wanting to play a more global schedule away from the PGA Tour but in reality Reed has been walking the walk in that regard for years. Long before LIV Golf came into existence and a global tour was mooted as a potential solution to the divide in the men’s game.
Reed deservedly has his critics and while he won’t win many fans over at the best of times, he has been a good supporter of the DP World Tour for the last seven years and should be credited for it. Fans have long called for the top players to get out of their comfort zone and travel more and Reed has done that. In fact, he is tailor-made for LIV Golf’s global schedule which is one of the plus points of the heavily criticised tour.
If ever there are negotiations for a potential tour where PGA Tour and LIV Golf players play in a certain number of events together as a way to “unify” the sport, Reed should have a seat at the table. Even since joining LIV, the American has held down a three-tour schedule despite his suspension from the PGA Tour.
Since joining LIV in 2022, the former Masters champion has supplemented his Saudi league schedule with events on the Asian Tour and DP World Tour. Even throughout his career the American regularly played north of 30 events across different tours including 2025 where he took his schedule beyond 30 events including the 14 LIV events he is contracted to compete in.
Reed has been much maligned for various ‘disciplinary” issues on the golf course but his commitment to the DP World Tour has gone under the radar and despite his silence he made more appearances on the DP World Tour last year than some of its biggest defenders.
Excluding majors Reed made ten DP World Tour starts in regular events last year, Rory McIlroy made eight and Shane Lowry six. This is no fluke, the 35-year-old made multiple starts last year and the year before that and also competed eight times in 2019.
Reed kept the field at arms length yesterday to clinch the Hero Dubai Desert Classic title – his first DP World Tour title outside of a major or World Golf Championship. It was fully deserved for someone who doesn’t use his DP World Tour membership as a box ticking exercise. He’s even on the entry list for this week’s Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.
Even towards the end of last year’s DP World Tour season, several Europeans played in events in order to fulfill their membership criteria. Even Lowry and Ludvig Åberg were given special exemptions into the DP World Tour playoff events having initially not played enough events to qualify for the season enders.
Reed has taken his fair share of pelters for his cheating accusations, his Ryder Cup antics and overall pantomime villain mantra but golf’s most divisive figure is actually a sign for unification.
Reed’s immediate playing future is uncertain
Rory McIlroy’s appetite for playing on the DP World Tour more often is admirable but we must not forget that Reed has been quietly globetrotting for years.
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