Two words illuminate the constant minefield inhabiting elite pro golf — potential and expectation. For many those words will wear as heavy as any anchor one can place around one’s neck.
For others, the wherewithal to resuscitate oneself and push ever onward can be the start of a new chapter where the words potential and expectation are not only fulfilled but exceeded.
Patrick Reed has been on the pro golf scene for well over a decade. The 35-year-old American turned pro in 2011 and the potential was certainly promising after helping Augusta State capture consecutive NCAA team titles in 2010 and 2011 respectively. However, numerous others upon leaving the collegiate ranks with the tagline “can’t miss” actually do soon thereafter.
At 20 Reed turned pro and the arduous climb up the ladder of pro golf began. His first top ten on the PGA Tour came in 2013 at the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. His first win came later that year at the Wyndham in a play-off over Jordan Spieth.
In 2014 at the Humana (now called the American Express) Reed opened with consecutive rounds of 63-63-63 – the lowest ever scored for a 54-hole start. He would go on to secure the win by two shots.
Within a few weeks he would win the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami, FL. When interviewed after the win, he stated the following: “I believe in myself, especially with how hard I’ve worked. I’m one of the top five players in the world.”
Self-confidence has never been an issue for Reed. However, the presumptive nature of his bold “look at me” comment went over like a lead balloon. Most notably by those in the upper echelons in the golf hierarchy who had achieved far more on the golf course than this rising star.
Reed became only the fifth golfer to earn three PGA Tour wins before his 24th birthday since 1990, joining Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia. Spieth subsequently achieved that feat. Reed was also the first PGA Tour golfer to have three wins before playing in his first major — the 2014 Masters. His talents were obvious and a bit of hubris clearly demonstrated a certain appealing swagger.
But the true launching pad came during the 2016 Ryder Cup matches at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. The USA squad had floundered in the intense team match with Europe – having lost the preceding three matches and six of the last seven dating back to 2002.
Reed became the spark plug with his scintillating play capped off with a dramatic lead-off singles win against the Euro’s top player McIlroy. The opening nine holes of play in the important match between the two was an epic joust. One man pushing the other and then having the tables turned with the other just as fiercely pushing back.
The final putt at the 18th by Reed only served to electrify the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
The tagline “Captain America” was coined for the raw emotion and golf skills Reed showcased in leading the US squad to an overpowering team win.
In 2018, Reed won his first and only major title, to date, at the Masters. The win catapulted him to the front lines of the world’s best players and it appeared more such triumphs were just on the horizon.
Reed’s penchant for a snappy quote has always been his calling card and he offered a few such comments in a New York Times article (April 9, 2019) not long after the win at Augusta. The frankness did not exactly endear him to his fellow professionals and his extended family.
Complicating matters have been rules situations that have dogged his career. While Reed was exonerated, the questionable circumstances caused a clear stir with certain fellow competitors and those in the media. Reed has followed a consistent pattern in attempting to secure an advantage whenever the opportunity arises. Others have done similarly.
Three other PGA Tour titles would follow after securing the green jacket but his career stalled. Besides his penchant for consistency at Augusta where he has had five top ten finishes – in the other three majors combined he has only been in the top ten a total of two times.
Reed followed the pathway of a number of other players in bolting from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf in June of 2022. His play there was a mixed bag of success and it appeared his mindset was do what others had done who had defected — reaping the millions of dollars being paid out by Saudi benefactors.
Just two top tens in the majors would follow during his LIV involvement — both at Augusta.
After seeing his career stagnate — Reed opted to forego re-signing with LIV Golf and made it clear his desire to return to the PGA Tour. While that desire was there, the senior leadership in Ponte Vedra placed clear hurdles for any player who defected to return.
Reed smartly opted to reconnect himself via the DP World Tour. That operation has ties to the PGA Tour and provided a pathway for a return.
Amazingly, Reed has started the 2026 season off in superb fashion. This past week he garnered his second win on the DP World Tour with a victory at the Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club. Just a few weeks back he won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and then the very next week lost in a three-way playoff at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.
That stretch of stellar play has opened the door for Reed to once again join the ranks of the PGA Tour. The likely time frame for his return looks to be August of this year. Although the connection with the PGA Tour may happen a month sooner at The Genesis Scottish Open which takes place at the Renaissance Club (July 9-12) and is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
At the end of 2025 Reed was 42nd in the world golf rankings. He has now moved up to 17th.
There’s no question Reed marches to the beat of his own drum. But equally so – there’s no question he is now re-entering the realm where a second major win is now very much in full view.
In the sea of robotic-like players who have little to distinguish themselves, Reed can be both perplexing while promising more on the personality and performance meters.
The nature of elite level pro golf is ever evolving. Past performances, from even a few years back, are no guarantee one will remain in the forefront. Think about the Reed intersection with his former Ryder Cup partner — Jordan Spieth. Spieth won three majors by the early age of 23 in 2017 — but since then has only won three times on the PGA Tour.
Even recent winners of major events have since faded into the background. Cameron Smith, the talented Aussie, claimed The Open at St. Andrews in 2022 for his first major victory, but since then the 32-year-old has missed the cut in his last five majors played.
Elite level professional golf is now rapidly churning out the non-performers and providing an accelerated platform for those pushing hard for an even higher profile.
Witness the ascension of Chris Gotterup. In last year’s Scottish Open, the New Jersey-born player was paired with McIlroy in the final group and while many saw this as a sure-fire victory for the Northern Irishman the result proved otherwise with Gotterup claiming his first PGA Tour title. This year Gotterup has already claimed wins in Hawaii and at last week’s Waste Management event.
The return of Reed to the top tier is a compelling story to watch. Golf’s bad boy relishes the anti-hero role. More than anything else – Reed has always shown the capacity to play his best when circumstances require one to do so.
That specific skillset is a key one in the game’s premier events.
The 2026 golf season is just ramping up.
Patrick Reed is now firing up a second act in his ever-evolving career. Grab your pop corn and pull your seat up close to the television. The ride ahead will be one most certainly worth watching because with Reed the word “boring” is not in his vocabulary.
