Patrick Reed’s PGA Tour Comeback Wins Rory McIlroy’s Respect as Legal Disputes Fade

For over a decade, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed have been rivals on and off the course. Reed’s shift to LIV Golf and the ensuing legal battles intensified the friction between the six‑time major champion and Reed.

However, the tension appears to be easing. After departing LIV Golf in January, Reed accepted a one‑year PGA Tour suspension and climbed back toward the U.S. circuit by placing inside the top‑10 of the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai. Victories in Dubai and Qatar this year virtually guaranteed his PGA Tour return for 2027. His acceptance of the sanction and focus on earning his place have garnered McIlroy’s respect.

“There’s no lawsuits anymore, so that helps,” McIlroy joked with reporters after his first round of the DP World India Championship on Thursday about his thawing relationship with Reed. “I think the way Patrick has conducted himself this year, but also just how this is the route that he’s taken, and he’s put his head down, and he’s played the golf, and he’s let his clubs do the talking. Patrick and I have had some really good battles over the years, and I respect him as a competitor, but I think it’s meant a lot to this tour that he’s done it the way he’s done it, and I think to his peers as well. To show that character that he’s come, and ultimately he wanted to get back to the PGA Tour, and he’s done it the right way, and that speaks a lot about who he is, and sort of who he’s maybe evolved into, and that’s a great thing.”

Reed and McIlroy faced off in an unforgettable singles match at the 2016 Ryder Cup, where Reed emerged victorious. Afterwards their rapport seemed amicable, with McIlroy occasionally defending Reed amid controversy. The rift resurfaced when golf’s civil war escalated in late 2022/early 2023, after Reed’s attorney, Larry Klayman, delivered a subpoena to McIlroy. The document pertained to Klayman’s defamation suit Ziza

“I was subpoenaed by his lawyer on Christmas Eve,” McIlroy said at the time. “So of course, trying to have a nice time with my family and someone shows up on your doorstep and delivers that, you’re not going to take that well. So again, I’m living in reality, I don’t know where he’s living. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t expect a hello or a handshake.”

Reed labelled McIlroy an “immature little child” after the ignored handshake.

More than three years removed from the tee‑flick incident, the professional golf landscape has transformed. LIV Golf is navigating bankruptcy proceedings, McIlroy is open to welcoming back defectors, and Reed has secured his PGA Tour return via the DP World Tour, where he currently leads the Race to Dubai standings while McIlroy pursues a record‑tying eighth title.

These developments have reshaped Reed and McIlroy’s relationship as the golf world begins to reunite.

“I feel like the relationship’s getting better. It’s just kind of one of those things. I mean, with me joining LIV, it rubbed some people the wrong way, right?” Reed told The Mirror in India this week. “I mean, any players that joined LIV, you know, people are going to handle it a different way, one way or the other. But at the same time, I feel like going out there and just kind of keeping my head down this year and trying to earn my way back and doing my time on [the DP World Tour], going out and earning a spot [on the PGA Tour], earned a lot of respect back from some of the guys.”

“I feel like it’s done that with Rory. And, you know, it’s one of those things that the more I’m around them, the more we spend time with them, obviously, we’ll build that relationship back up. Hopefully, I’m able to play with them a little bit more on Saturdays and Sundays coming in because those are always fun dogfights and great battles out there on the golf course. That’s one of those things that we look forward to.”

McIlroy and Reed have both endured a challenging week at Delhi Golf Club, where Eugenio Chacarra leads after two‑and‑a‑half rounds. Chacarra, currently second in the Race to Dubai standings, is poised to overtake Reed for the top spot, becoming the player both Reed and McIlroy are chasing as the DP World Tour approaches its finale.

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