Patrick Reed Backs Down, Breaking a Decade-Long Tradition Ahead of the U.S. Open

“All I can focus on is playing good golf,” admitted an optimistic Patrick Reed after Saturday’s round at the Masters in April when asked about the 2024 U.S. Open invitation. Fast forward to May, and the golfer went about surprising everyone with his latest actions. He withdrew from the Dallas qualifiers for the third major of the year!

Reed’s withdrawal from the U.S. Open qualifiers means that he will not be playing on the field for the clash at Pinehurst No. 2 next month. Sadly, this marks the first time in the last 10 years that Reed will not be on the field of a major. Since the 2014 Masters, he’s always found himself a spot in all four majors of the year, be it through his automatic qualification, through world rankings, or even via qualifiers.

Despite there being 10 more qualifiers across America in the coming days, the golf pro’s withdrawal from the Dallas qualifier disqualifies him from participating in any subsequent ones. Moreover, with the major only inviting the top 60 ranked golfers, Reed (who is 93rd as per OWGR), it will not be receiving an invite like he did for the PGA Championship, which took in the top 100 golfers on its field.

Patrick Reed would’ve needed a 3rd place finish at the PGA Championship to have automatically qualified for the U.S. Open, but he was far from it. The LIV star finished T53 with a score of 5-under 279, carding 11 bogeys across the four days. Unfortunately, even his total of 14 birdies and one eagle were not enough to see him pull off a top finish.

LIV golfers, unlike Patrick Reed, who are a part of the U.S. Open field

The 2024 PGA Championship featured 16 athletes from the PIF-funded circuit. However, as of now, there are only a total of 10 LIV golfers who are currently exempt from the U.S. Open: Eugenio Chacarra, Adrian Meronk, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson, and Tyrrell Hatton.

On June 3, other players from the new league would compete at various other U.S. Open qualifiers, aiming to earn a spot on the field, just like Chacarra did in Dallas. With a 6-under in two rounds, the LIV star won himself one of the 11 spots available at the Dallas Athletic Club in Texas and hence will be taking to the greens at Pinehurst No. 2 next month. And if more follow in his footsteps, there may still be hope for the Saudi side!