Patrick Reed Leads European Tour Race to Dubai Ahead of McIlroy After Recent Wins

Patrick Reed leads the European tour's Race to Dubai standings ahead of Rory McIlroy as of July 14, 2026. ABC News reported that Reed won the Dubai Desert Classic by four shots and then chose not to renew his contract with LIV Golf. He lost in a playoff the following week in Bahrain.

Reed captured the Qatar Masters during the week LIV Golf opened its fifth season. That result placed him atop the Race to Dubai, where he remains in front of McIlroy. The top 10 players on the European tour not already exempt receive PGA Tour cards for 2027, and Reed is virtually assured of one.

Reed's one-year ban from LIV Golf ends the week of the Tour Championship in late August 2026. He last represented a U.S. team in the Presidents Cup in Australia in 2019. Reed won the Masters in 2018 and holds honorary life membership on the European tour.

Reed has two European tour titles in 2026 and two World Golf Championships titles. His most recent PGA Tour victory came at Torrey Pines before he joined LIV Golf. He shot 59 to win the Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour at the end of 2024.

Reed played 32 events in the previous year, 23 of them overseas. The first PGA Tour event where he can earn an exemption after his ban is scheduled for September 17-20, 2026, in Asheville, North Carolina.