Patrick Reed didn’t take long to make his presence felt again. The American professional’s OWGR rankings dropped significantly after joining LIV Golf. However, only days after leaving the Saudi-backed league, he has surpassed all LIV golfers to rise straight into the world Top-20 in OWGR standings with his 2nd DP World Tour win at the Qatar Masters 2026, which got him a significant $467,500 paycheck.

“It’s win no.2 for Patrick Reed in 2026! Moves provisionally to #17 in the world! Also now with a clear lead in R2D… #OWGR #QatarMasters,” Nosferatu wrote in an X post.

After his win at the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Patrick Reed hinted at his plan to get back on the PGA Tour if contract negotiations with LIV Golf don’t go as planned. Soon after, he confirmed his exit on January 28, 2026. It’s been only 12 days now, and his recent 3 performances on the DP World Tour have likely helped him jump to World No. 17.

It all started with his win at the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He carded rounds of 69-66-67-72 to win the event. This got him 30.85856 OWGR points, helping him edge past Bryson DeChambeau to the 29th position after that win. Before this, he was 44th on the rankings list.

Then, at the 2026 Bapco Bahrain Championship, he finished T2, earning 10.47594 points and jumping to 25th place with 115.91679 points in total.

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Now, at the Qatar Masters 2026, he won again with a 2-stroke margin over Calum Hill. With rounds of 65-67-70-70, he finished at 16-under par 272. The OWGR had assigned a rating of 121.12050 points to the Qatar Masters 2026 field. Of this, the winner, in this case Patrick Reed, got 20.83184 points. When added, this takes Reed’s total to over 136 points. This could take him to the 17th position.

He would be back in the top 20s after 5 years. The last time he was in this range was back in 2021, before he joined LIV Golf. Since LIV Golf events didn’t receive OWGR points, his position continued to decline. However, things have changed now, as LIV Golf has got eligible status with a condition.

Besides entering the Top-20s, Patrick Reed has also secured a clear lead in the Race to Dubai standings. Before the Qatar Masters 2026, he was in second position with 1674.7 points, behind Jayden Schaper. However, this win earned him 585 R2DR points, bringing his total to 2,259.7 points, a clear lead of over 400 points over Schaper. If he continues this dominance on the DP World Tour, he could pose a serious threat to Rory McIlroy, who is eyeing a record 8th R2DR title.

Reed’s ban from the PGA Tour will be lifted in mid-August. Thus, he would be able to play with his past major winner status. However, if he finishes in the top-10 on the R2DR rankings, he would get a full exempt PGA Tour card for the 2027 season. Notably, many golfers want him to be back.

Scottie Scheffler on Patrick Reed’s potential return to the PGA Tour

When asked about Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed returning to the PGA Tour after their LIV Golf stint, the World No. 1 had a neutral stance, as always.

Scottie Scheffler said it is best for the game of golf if they return.

“When you look at a lot of the discussions we’ve had and when you look at what a lot of the fans are saying, I think people want the best people playing together again,” the World No. 1 told reporters at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open.

Many elites, like Rory McIlroy, are in favor of allowing LIV golfers to be back. On the other hand, many, like Wyndham Clark, are against it.

Brooks Koepka is a 5x major champion, while Reed won the 2018 Masters. Besides, they both have 9 PGA Tour titles between them. These numbers show how skilled both golfers are. So if they return, the field strength will increase, making the events more competitive.

If the PGA Tour reopens its doors to former LIV players, the return of proven winners like Patrick Reed would strengthen fields and restore the competitive depth fans and sponsors clearly want to see. But even if there’s no easy path made available by the PGA Tour, Reed has already made his own path to head back with full exempt status.