After his Dubai win, Patrick Reed faces a decision: his LIV Golf contract is still open as the season opener in Riyadh approaches.
In a press conference following his victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour, Texan Patrick Reed spoke about his future with the Saudi-backed golf league LIV Golf. During the conference, Reed was asked if he would participate in LIV Golf’s season opener in early February in Riyadh, as he had previously been evasive in his answers. Reed has been playing for LIV Golf since June 2022, representing the 4Aces GC team. Initially, he said he should be \”ready\” for the next LIV Golf season, prompting further questioning at the press conference.
Contract with LIV Golf not yet renewed
It became clear that the 35-year-old has not yet renewed his contract with LIV Golf and wants to finalize details with the league in Saudi Arabia within a short timeframe of about two weeks before the opening tournament, LIV Golf Riyadh, from February 4 to 7. \”We are still working on the contract details,\” Reed said, adding, \”We are not finished yet.\”
Reed explained that he prefers not to discuss business matters during tournament time: \”I don’t like talking about business or similar things while I play. That’s why Monday to Wednesday is the only time to talk about it,\” he added. \”When I came here this week, I knew that from Thursday on I would focus only on golf. From tonight and tomorrow, we can talk about other things again.\”
Patrick Reed: \”I’m currently planning to compete in Riyadh\”
Patrick Reed is also in the starting field for the next DP World Tour event, the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. Despite the uncertainty, Reed expects to extend his contract: \”I haven’t talked to the team at home or anything like that yet,\” Reed said. \”But for now, I’m planning to play in Riyadh, and I would be surprised if we don’t.\”
In four years with LIV Golf, Reed has finished three times in the top seven overall and celebrated his first individual victory on the LIV Golf Tour last season in Dallas. In parallel, he remained active outside the league: last year he played 18 Official World Golf Ranking tournaments, after only ten starts outside LIV the previous year. Ten of these were on the DP World Tour, of which Reed is a lifetime member – despite ongoing fines due to his LIV involvement. Reed mentioned earlier this week that