Patrick Reed attempted to do something incredible this year.
When Reed first left LIV Golf at the start of this year, it looked like he was committed to playing a full DP World Tour schedule. However, it quickly became apparent that Reed was instead attempting something unprecedented for a player at the peak of their powers.
The American has not played any professional golf outside the major championships since his last appearance at The Masters. He was attempting to play a major-only schedule in 2026, and it was fascinating to see if he could compete at the highest level with no competitive reps.
Unfortunately, it seems he cannot. His lack of playing time caught up with him at Shinnecock Hills, as he was totally unprepared for the toughest test in golf and missed the cut. And that’s not just bad news for Reed. It’s a concerning sign for everyone at LIV Golf.
Why Patrick Reed missing the US Open cut is terrible news for LIV Golf
Reed hurt LIV when he left the tour earlier in the year, but right now he’s serving as a canary in the coal mine for its players.
Because of LIV Louisiana’s postponement, there will be no LIV Golf events between the US Open and The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
This means that unless the players can get some reps on the DP World Tour between now and then, all of the players will be without competitive reps heading into the final major championship of the season.
So for any LIV golfers that who were hoping they could stay fresh without playing in competition between these two majors, think again. Reed is showing that it’s extremely difficult to do.
Why Patrick Reed’s missed cut gives the PGA Tour leverage over Bryson DeChambeau
This is bad news for all LIV players, but it’s particularly devastating for Bryson DeChambeau. He’s out of contract with LIV Golf at the end of this season, and he’s considering a PGA Tour return.
But in his negotiations with both LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, he’s made it clear that he’s willing to step away from full-time competition to do content creation, and only play in the major championships.
Where do you think Bryson DeChambeau will be playing in 2027?
His LIV contract is up this year…
Many questioned whether DeChambeau could compete at the highest level without playing competitively. Reed’s missed cut is some concrete evidence that it’s probably not.
This gives the PGA Tour huge leverage in its negotiations with DeChambeau, as he misses his third major cut of the year.
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