Patrick Reed responds to playing in same group as Rory McIlroy in DP World Tour playoffs

Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed are in the hunt for the Race to Dubai title -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)

Patrick Reed says he is excited to play alongside Rory McIlroy once again.

The DP World Tour playoffs kick off on Thursday, with Eugenio Chacarra leading the Race to Dubai standings. Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed are hot on his heels, however, with all three in pursuit of the title. The trio are also paired together in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, which is one of two legs on the DP World Tour playoff schedule.

McIlroy is looking to match Colin Montgomerie’s eight Race to Dubai trophies, but he’ll have to close the points gap between him and Chacarra. Reed, meanwhile, is also looking to make history by becoming only the second American in history to win the Race to Dubai and claim the Harry Vardon Trophy, following Collin Morikawa who accomplished the feat in 2021.

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Reed and McIlroy's rivalry has been well documented over the years, from the tee-flicking scandal in 2023, to Christmas Eve subpoenas, and barbed comments thrown in each other's direction. But it seems 2026 is the dawn of a new relationship for Reed and McIlroy.

“Really excited to be in this position to come out here and kind of just put my head down and play full time on the DP World Tour and have an opportunity for an American to win the Race would be something that is obviously a goal and a dream,” said Reed.

“It's very exciting, especially playing with those two,” continued the 36-year-old. “It's been a while since I've been in the same group as Rory.

Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy appear to have moved on from their past feuds

“It's going to be fun. I've gotten the pleasure of playing with Eugenio earlier this year. It's going to be a fun group to go out tomorrow and feed off each other and play some good golf.”

At the start of the 2026 season, Reed departed LIV Golf with aspirations of leveraging the DP World Tour to earn back his card on the American circuit.

Speaking recently at the New Delhi event in India, McIlroy showed respect to his American adversary.

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"There's no lawsuits anymore, so that helps," McIlroy laughed, before giving Reed his flowers. "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."

Source: Sports