Patrick Reed opened the PGA Championship with a two-under round at Aronimink Golf Club on Thursday, and he did it with the kind of crisp ball-striking that put him one shot off the first-round lead. Reed made two birdies and no bogeys while leading the field in greens in regulation at 88.9 percent.
The round mattered because Reed had not played tournament golf since tying for 12th at the Masters last month, a break that made this week feel different from the usual major buildup. He said, “It’s definitely weird,” but added that the time away gave him a chance to grind, prepare and study his game after he and his team decided it was best not to play between Augusta and the PGA Championship.
That decision fits a year that has already taken Reed down an unusual path. After leaving LIV Golf in January, he has played exclusively on the DP World Tour and won in Dubai and Qatar, while also trying to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2027 season. He said, “Yeah, this year is obviously a unique situation. With taking that time off since Augusta, it’s been just a lot of grinding and preparing. Really it’s kind of one of those that you finally feel like you can actually properly prepare.”
Reed said the layoff was not complete idleness. He pointed to a three-day trip to Aronimink before the tournament, when he played in howling wind, and said, “Even though I wasn’t playing tournament golf, I was kind of doing a lot of things and studying not only my golf game.” The unusual rhythm reminded him of another stretch from the Covid season, when there was a multi-week gap between the Zozo Championship and the November Masters, the only other time he said he had gone several weeks without tournament play before a major.
For Reed, the bigger backdrop is a game in flux. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund is withdrawing funding for LIV Golf after the season, and LIV chief executive Scott O’Neil is trying to secure money for the 2027 season as the circuit faces an uncertain future. Reed, who said he had no idea that change was coming, kept his focus on the players trying to navigate it and said he hopes they keep playing well and get their chances, wherever that next stop ends up being.
He sounded satisfied with where his game stood after Thursday’s start. “This year’s a little different,” Reed said. “Honestly, I enjoyed my time at home. I enjoyed actually getting to grind, to prepare, and work on things and get ready for this week. Hopefully, I can continue the solid play and get myself up there and have a chance late Sunday. Who knows, it might be a new thing.”
