A juicy battle is brewing between Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy on the DP World Tour

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Some 5,000 miles from his home of Houston, former Masters champion Patrick Reed was swarmed by fans on every hole during Wednesday’s pro-am at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth outside London.

It’s not just because he’s become better known among fans of the DP World Tour this year having won twice already to lead its Race to Dubai points list after deciding to leave the LIV Golf League after 2025. Reed has always been a regular competitor on the Old World circuit and was made an honorary life member in 2019. After Plus, European fans know Reed as “Captain America” from his Ryder Cup heroics.

“I've always enjoyed my time coming over here playing on this tour, especially around these fans, all the fun and the friendly banter go back and forth, especially on Ryder Cup years,” Reed said on the eve of the DP World Tour’s signature event. “It's even played into that whole Captain America and kind of laid on them a little bit, and so they get it right back to me. It's always fun coming over and playing with these guys, and being a part of, you know, the atmosphere over here.”

Reed’s success on the DP World Tour has assured him of a PGA Tour card for 2027 via the DP World Tour’s top 10 points earners. Although he has never won the Race to Dubai, he currently leads the standings after winning a Rolex Series event in the Dubai Desert Classic and the Qatar Masters earlier in the year. Reed also finished T-2 at last week’s Irish Open.

The only American to win the Race to Dubai title was Collin Morikawa in 2021, the year he also won the Open Championship.

“I thought it was gonna be a stretch back when I was on PGA Tour and playing over here, 'cause you're only playing in four or five events,” Reed said of possibly claiming the Race to Dubai title, “But whenever I won at Augusta and played well the next year in the majors, I realized how close you actually can come by for playing really one of the big events. It's always been obviously a goal mine to win the Race to Dubai at some point, you know this year, hopefully, hopefully we can get it done if I put myself in a good position.”

That said, Reed will have to fend off No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who at times has been a rival for the American over the year, including an epic Ryder Cup singles match in 2016 and an acrimonious back-and-forth at the 2023 Dubai Desert Classic. McIlroy is chasing his fifth straight European Order of Merit title and eighth overall, which would equal Colin Montgomerie for the all-time record. Does McIlroy add a little bit of inspiration for Reed? Perhaps.

“Just to finish No. 1 would be amazing. I mean, I know it's not gonna be easy because of a guys like Rory right on my tail right now,” Reed said. “So you know, it's always fun any time I get to battle out with Rory. It's always a blast and you know, you always have to go out and play solid golf. I definitely wouldn't mind making him wait one more year to [equal] the record, but it's only a matter of time.”

Reed could triumph this week at the BWM PGA Championship at Wentworth, a Rolex Series event which awards 8,000 points to the winner. The Race to Dubai Champion is crowned at the DP World Tour finale in Dubai in November.

Reed’s transition from LIV back to the DP World Tour (and back to the PGA Tour next year) has come with the knowledge that his career is taking a turn. While becoming increasingly comfortable with fans, his self-assurance on the course remains high. That was evident in a story from three years ago that Golf Digest and one other reporter confirmed with Reed at Wentworth on Wednesday.

In 2023, Reed was playing several practice rounds at Los Angeles Country Club ahead of that year’s U.S. Open. Reed took a local caddie and was so appreciative of the looper’s advice he left a $7,500 tip.

And it wasn’t the first time the 36-year-old has left a local caddie stunned at a major championship host course. Asked if he had left generous tips elsewhere, Reed confirmed he had.

“I do it every time; whether I go to Augusta, whether to a U.S. Open [course], any time I bring a local caddie or something like that, I always tip them up appropriately,” Reed said. “I mean, they're the ones out there, spending their entire day out with me and, you know, grinding with me, so it's one of those things I’m very appreciative for what they do and how much they help me out. It's the least I can do.

“[Sometimes it’s] like three days out there [at a major venue], not one round of golf, and we're out there for seven, or eight hours. I can only imagine how tiring it is for those guys, as well as having to carry a staff bag around rather than just a regular looping bag.”

Doing his homework this week in Wentworth could result in a career milestone that would likely keep Reed popular among European fans.