Patrick Reed’s long road back: Leaving LIV, waiting out a PGA Tour return and playing in the Masters
Patrick Reed has played golf all around the world, often out of choice, now out of necessity. One of the early and polarizing defectors to LIV Golf a few years ago, the 2018 Masters champion made the similarly difficult decision to leave the lucrative, Saudi-backed tour earlier this year and return to the PGA Tour. Where he already has won twice ahead of his return to Augusta National this week.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Patrick Reed has played golf all around the world, often out of choice, now out of necessity. Necessity so that he can start playing closer to home again.
One of the early and polarizing defectors to LIV Golf a few years ago, the 2018 Masters champion made the similarly difficult decision to leave the lucrative, Saudi-backed tour earlier this year and return to the PGA Tour. But under the terms of his reinstatement, Reed cannot play in its events until after Aug. 25, which means most of this season will be spent on the European tour.
Where he already has won twice ahead of his return to Augusta National this week. “Everyone kind of gets to be a creature of habit, and wants to eat what they're comfortable with and go," Reed said after a practice round Monday, “but I like checking out all the local places and really experiencing the culture. " Pimento cheese sandwich, anyone?
The truth is as much as Reed enjoyed playing in Dubai and Qatar, where he packed wins around a playoff loss in Bahrain — 1,200 miles (7,500 km) from home, wife Justine and their two kids — there are few things Reed loves more than walking among the Georgia pines. It's not exactly home; that's The Woodlands, Texas. But it sure feels like it.
Continue to the original source for the full article.