Patrick Reed says he had never withdrawn during an event due to an injury. His threshold, he says, was high. 

How high?

“I mean, I would have rather gone out and shoot a million,” he said, “than actually withdraw.”

Things, though, took a painful turn for the 2018 Masters winner during the second round of last month’s BMW PGA Championship, considered to be the DP World Tour’s showcase event. A day earlier at Wentworth Club in England, he was contending after a four-under 68, but he was nine over for nine holes — and he was done. 

“Never saw that coming,” Reed said Wednesday ahead of this week’s Spanish Open, his first event since the BMW WD.

Talking with the DP World Tour, Reed said his neck and his shoulder had been hurting to start the round, then he injured his left hand. On the 3rd hole, he hit off a cart path, and he hit a tree root on a shot on the 9th hole. On the par-3 10th tee, Reed hit his tee shot to the left of the green and he then exited.

“My hand swelled up,” Reed said. “I couldn’t even hit a normal flop shot and couldn’t hit a normal iron shot on the next hole. 

“And at that point, because I was unable to actually make a normal golf swing, I thought the best thing was to go in.”

Reed said he had feared that he had broken the hand, but tests back near his home in Texas revealed “a shoulder issue.” While he missed two tournaments on the DP World Tour, he remains the season-long points leader on that circuit, where he’s been playing since leaving LIV Golf in January. The top 10 in the points race receive 2027 PGA Tour cards. 

“It might be uncomfortable,” Reed said, “but at the same time, I’m able to kind of perform and do what I’m supposed to do and that’s swing the golf club. So no excuses. Go out there and continue grinding and hopefully finish off the year strong.”

The DP World Tour reporter also asked Reed whether it was hard “to manage the emotions of the week” at the BMW PGA.  

“It was hard, especially at that place,” he said. “I mean, at Wentworth, it’s such an amazing event. The turnout’s awesome. And I’ve played some really good golf there at that event. And because of that, and really, I was in form, I was playing really well, hitting the ball great, and for that unfortunate Friday to happen, it’s just one of those things that, obviously, you don’t ever want to happen, but at the same time, it’s just one of those other obstacles that you have to, the ups and downs you have to deal with throughout the year to hopefully close off the year.

“So I felt like we made the right decision, and I took off last week to give myself one extra week, doctor’s orders. And so because of that, I feel like I’m healthy enough to come back out here and play and compete. And the game still feels pretty solid.”

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