Patrick Reed has become the second star name to leave LIV Golf with the intention of returning to the PGA Tour.
By allowing Brooks Koepka to return immediately, the PGA Tour opened the door for others to follow. And while the biggest names like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm haven’t budged, Reed took the opportunity with both hands.
It’s another hammer blow for LIV, who rely so heavily on its star power for survival. They have signed no one of note this offseason, and now there’s a steady feed of players looking for the exit door.
But there was a big question as to how the PGA Tour’s players would react. They turned down hundreds of millions to remain loyal to the tour, and now the LIV players who sold out are waltzing back.
Wyndham Clark and Hideki Matsuyama have already expressed their anger at this, and US Open winner JJ Spaun recently gave his take.
How JJ Spaun feels about Patrick Reed rejoining the PGA Tour
Reed has been a controversial figure for the entirety of his career, so this is just another chapter in his story. He was shunned by the likes of Rory McIlroy when he initially left for LIV.
But upon his return, many of the tour players are welcoming him back with open arms. That includes Spaun, who said prior to the Farmers Insurance Open, “Yeah, I think people want to be on the PGA Tour. It’s the best Tour in the world, the most competitive Tour.
“I think Patrick will be a good asset to this Tour, and I think it just speaks volumes to where the Tour’s headed. I think to add even more competition for us that have been here while they left, and, you know, adding Brooks and Patrick now, it’s just strengthening our Tour, which I think is great.”
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the PGA Tour is the place to be, and now it’s just a case of who will swallow their pride and come back to eat some humble pie.
Keegan Bradley’s reaction to Patrick Reed’s return
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley echoed Spaun’s sentiments, welcoming Reed back.
He said to the Golf Channel, “Any time we can add players like Patrick Reed, major champion, Ryder Cup star, I think it’s great. And I think what’s happening in the game is these guys are free agents now, and they can go around and do what they want to do, and obviously Patrick wants to come back to the PGA Tour.”
Weirdly, he’s giving out LIV’s narrative, not the PGA Tour’s. LIV’s point was always that players should be able to play wherever they want, but the tour prevented them from leaving freely.
It seems that while LIV is losing the war, what it initially stood for is breaking through somewhat.
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