[Photo: David Cannon]<\/p>\n
Prepared to pay more than $US1 million in fines to play on the DP World Tour in 2026, Patrick Reed put himself in position for a hefty deposit after taking the 36-hole lead at the Dubai Desert Classic.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Patrick Reed calls PGA Tour the \u2018best in the world\u2019, says he\u2019d consider returning if given the chance<\/a><\/p>\n Reed is a DP World Tour honorary life member. He carded a bogey-free 66 in round two at the Emirates Golf Club\u2019s tricky Majlis course. At nine-under-par, he tops the leaderboard at the halfway mark of the $US9 million Rolex Series event. England\u2019s Andy Sullivan is eight-under after a 65, while Francesco Molinari and Andrea Pavan sit at seven-under.<\/p>\n Former Masters champion Reed plays on LIV Golf and, along with fellow league members Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm, could be subject to sanctions by the DP World Tour for playing in conflicting events once the LIV season begins next month.<\/p>\n A winner at LIV Golf Dallas last year, Reed said any potential sanctions were yet to be determined.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s [wait and] see\u2026 we haven\u2019t played an event yet that we would be fined,\u201d said Reed, who will have played three DP World Tour events before LIV Golf\u2019s opening event in Saudi Arabia in two weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we don\u2019t know really what it entails for this year. I mean, if it happens [that I\u2019m] having to pay fines to play out here, so be it. I\u2019m not going to allow that to deter me from showing support and playing on this tour. I\u2019ve done it since I won the [2014] WGC [Cadillac event at Doral] and I don\u2019t plan on stopping.\u201d<\/p>\n The DP World Tour has been consistent in its fining of LIV players, with sanctions weighted based on whether each LIV event is in the same region and time zone as a DP World stop. The fines are higher when a LIV event runs against a flagship tournament on the DP World Tour, such as its prestigious Rolex Series.<\/p>\n Patrick Reed goes bogey-free on his second round\ud83d\udc4f<\/p>\n Reed has an excellent record at @EmiratesGC<\/a> with a T10 finish in 2025 and solo second in 2023.#HeroDubaiDesertClassic<\/a> | #RolexSeries<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/np8C0aFyv8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Asked if he would need to earn roughly $US1 million on the DP World Tour to break even, Reed answered, \u201cOh, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a really fluid one depending on how much it is because it also depends where the event is,\u201d Reed added. \u201cThere\u2019s so many different factors that go into it\u2026 I\u2019d rather just tee it up and play, and [if it] costs me this, whatever, I\u2019ll go play. Play well and it offsets.\u201d<\/p>\n Winning the Dubai Desert Classic would certainly offset a year\u2019s worth of sanctions, given the winner\u2019s prize this week is $US1.5 million. \u201cExactly; go ahead and win early [in the season] and that will take care of it,\u201d Reed joked.<\/p>\n The nine-time PGA Tour winner also reiterated comments he made to Australian Golf Digest and The Telegraph last week<\/a> that the Returning Member Program is not something he has to consider given he does not meet the criteria of major winners since 2022. But hypothetically, if he did meet the criteria, he would consider it.<\/p>\n