Patrick Reed’s $2 Million Dream Comes Under Threat as Wrist Injury Gives Him Another Setback

Patrick Reed’s wrist injury has forced him to miss another DP World Tour event. The Race to Dubai leader has withdrawn from this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as he continues to recover from the injury that ended his BMW PGA Championship early. The timing is not ideal for Reed. Rory McIlroy has cut the gap in the season-long standings from 839.76 points to just 307.76. With Reed missing another event, McIlroy now has another chance to close the gap even further.

Reed came into the BMW PGA Championship with a big lead in the Race to Dubai. He had built that lead with wins at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters, along with a runner-up finish at the Irish Open. But his week at Wentworth ended early in the second round. Reed opened with a 4-under 68, but after playing a shot from the trees on the ninth hole and hitting a tree root, he immediately dropped his club and shook his wrist in pain. He continued to the par-3 10th hole but soon decided he could not go on. Reed then left St Andrews’ Old Course by cart.

McIlroy made the most of the opportunity, finishing runner-up and increasing his Race to Dubai points from 2,583.86 to 3,115.86. After Reed withdrew, he earned no points, and his big lead shrank sharply in just one week. The change was also something McIlroy spoke about after the tournament.

“Unfortunately, he’s pulled out this week, which gives me an opportunity to try to claw back some ground that I lost last week in Ireland,” McIlroy said. “This weekend is a big weekend for me to pick up a few points and make the race even tighter going into these last few weeks.”

The Race to Dubai battle has been close all season. Before his injury, Reed had spoken about McIlroy chasing him. “Just to finish No. 1 would be amazing,” Reed said, while also admitting that the close race made things more fun.

Reed also spoke about McIlroy’s chase for an eighth Race to Dubai title. If McIlroy wins it, he would match Colin Montgomerie’s record. “I definitely wouldn’t mind making him wait one more year,” Reed said.

McIlroy has also made matching Montgomerie’s record one of his main goals for the rest of the season. He said it “would be obviously amazing” to reach eight Race to Dubai titles.

The organisers had anticipated that Reed would participate in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but he has not recovered enough from his wrist injury and has now withdrawn. This means Reed will miss another chance to add more Race to Dubai points, while McIlroy continues with his final three planned events of the season: the DP World India Championship, the Abu Dhabi Championship and the DP World Tour Championship. Reed is also hoping to play in the India event in October if his wrist has healed by then. That could give him and McIlroy a chance to meet again on the course for the first time since the BMW PGA Championship.

The top 10 players in the Race to Dubai share a $6 million bonus pool at the end of the season. The overall winner gets $2 million. Reed has not lost any money by missing the Dunhill Links Championship, but his position at the top is now under pressure. His lead has almost disappeared in just one week.

This is not the first time a Race to Dubai leader has missed the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship because of an injury. In 2010, Martin Kaymer was leading the standings after winning The Open Championship. But he broke his toe in a go-karting accident and had to miss the same Alfred Dunhill Links Championship that Reed is missing now. Reed has also faced a major setback before. In 2021, pneumonia led to his hospitalisation, which made him miss 25 days of competitive golf. He returned at the Tour Championship and started in last place, but fought back to finish 21st. Neither of these cases involved a wrist injury. However, they show how quickly a big lead can become much smaller when an injury keeps a player out of competition.

Reed is still in a powerful position for one important reason. The top 10 players in the final standings who are not already exempt will earn PGA Tour cards for 2027. Reed, who left LIV Golf and returned to the DP World Tour this year, is already mathematically sure of a place in that group. However, the bigger prize is now in doubt. Reed is trying to win his first Race to Dubai title, while McIlroy is chasing an eighth title. With Reed missing another event and the gap down to 307.76 points, McIlroy has another chance to close the gap before the season ends in Dubai in November.

The post Patrick Reed’s $2 Million Dream Comes Under Threat as Wrist Injury Gives Him Another Setback appeared first on EssentiallySports.