DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Patrick Reed continued his torrid pace in the Middle East on Thursday when he made six birdies in the opening eight holes and finished with a 7-under 65 to share the lead with Daniel Hiller in the Qatar Masters.
Reed won the Dubai Desert Classic and then lost in a playoff last week in the Bahrain Championship, moving the American to No. 2 in the Race to Dubai.
Reed had intended to be about 350 miles away this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to start another season with LIV Golf. But when he couldn't agree to a contract extension, he became the second major defection from the Saudi-funded league, along with Brooks Koepka.
Reed could earn a full PGA Tour card for 2027 if he were to be among the top 10 players on the Race to Dubai who are not already exempt. Each round moves him closer to that, and Reed has yet to play in the four majors this year.
Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, opened with a 71 at Doha Golf Club, significant because it was the 500th career start on the European tour for the Irishman.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
You’ve likely known your closest friends for years — but when was the last time you met some… Read moreMaking Friends in Your 60s and Beyond
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
LaurieHietter said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.