Patrick Reed has made a significant jump in the Official World Golf Ranking after he won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic 2026. The American golfer played this week on the DP World Tour event held from January 22 to 25 in Dubai.
He was in contention after 54 holes and then carded 72 in the final round to register a four-stroke win in the game. With that, he jumped from 44th position to 29th place in the OWGR. Before this, he played at the Dubai Invitational, where he settled in 26th place and dropped in the ranking from 41st to 44th, but this week turned out to be a savior for the American golfer. He won the event amidst the ongoing PGA Tour rumor.
In the post-round press conference of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Patrick Reed was asked if he had other options if he didn’t “do LIV.” In response, he said (via ASAP Sports):
“Continue to play out here and be in the Top 10 and be on the PGA TOUR next year……Yeah, I mean, if I ended up not playing on LIV this year, obviously mit would be one of those things that I would be out here playing more on this tour and trying to secure one of those spots in the Top 10, and allow myself to get back on the PGA TOUR.”
Notably, the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai standings, if not already exempted, earn the PGA Tour card for the upcoming season. Reed has good options to regain his Tour card through the Race to Dubai standings.
Earlier this month, the PGA Tour announced a new Returning Member Program. However, that only allows a golfer who has won a major title from 2022 to 2025 to return to the league. Brooks Koepka has returned to play on the PGA Tour for this season through the program.
“We’re still finalizing”- Patrick Reed Opens Up About LIV Golf Contract
Patrick Reed has yet to sign a contract with LIV Golf for the upcoming season. The next LIV Golf season will start next month.
Reed said after winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic that he is “still finalizing the contract.”
“We’re still finalizing the contract,” Reed said (via CBS Sports). “We’re not complete on that yet. At the moment, yes, [I am a free agent]. It’s one of those things that I don’t like to talk business and stuff while I’m playing, and so it’s like Monday through Wednesday is the only time to really talk about it.
“And so, it’s just kind of one of those things that, you know, getting here this week, I knew that once Thursday got here, just focus on golf and golf only. … The biggest thing for me right now is just go out and play well this week. Obviously, got the win. Then hopefully carry that momentum into next week and hopefully compete late Sunday again,” he added.
Patrick Reed has enjoyed success on the PGA Tour before he joined LIV Golf. He has won nine events in the league. On the LIV Golf tour, he won the Dallas event last year after defeating Jinichiro Kozuma, Paul Casey, and Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff.