DOONBEG, IRELAND – SEPTEMBER 12: Patrick Reed of the USA tees off on the sixth gap on day three of the Amgen Irish Open at Trump Worldwide Golf Hyperlinks in Doonbeg on September 12, 2026 in Doonbeg, Eire. (Photograph by Richard Heathcote/Getty Pictures)
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Shane Lowry ran away from the sphere at Trump Worldwide Doonbeg, successful the Irish Open by eleven photographs, however the greater story could be who tied for second.
At twelve beneath par, Patrick Reed and Joaquín Niemann tied for second.
Previously a LIV Golf participant, Patrick Reed wanted a pathway again to the PGA Tour after renouncing his membership final yr. Reed has two wins this season, on the Hero Dubai Desert Basic and the Qatar Masters. With a second-place end on the Irish Open, he solidified his excessive place within the Race to Dubai standings and stays in first place forward of Rory McIlroy.
“This little run I’ve had, two wins and a second, it’s superior. We couldn’t ask something greater than what we did,” Reed mentioned on m. “It’s particular, particularly to get two wins early on within the season, and hopefully there’s much more to return.”
Niemann is in a really completely different place. The place Reed’s future appears safe going into subsequent yr, Niemann faces uncertainty. The LIV Golf Tour filed for chapter on September 8, with a name for LIV 2.0 to take its place because the league strikes ahead with a brand new framework.
Chapter courtroom paperwork record him as an unsecured creditor. LIV Golf owes his firm, Joaquín Niemann LLC, precisely $1,307,692.31 beneath a participant participation settlement.
“We consider deeply in LIV Golf’s future, the chance in entrance of us, and the individuals who will assist us notice it,” LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil mentioned in an announcement in s.
Niemann is at present ranked thirty seventh within the Official World Golf Rating however lacks major-tour standing to earn his method again into the PGA Tour by way of factors. He isn’t a member of the DP World Tour, as a substitute taking part in on a sponsor’s exemption for the match. With the way forward for LIV up within the air and no clear pathway into the PGA Tour, secondary standing on the DP World Tour could possibly be the one skilled avenue for LIV gamers in 2027.
With 5 occasions left on the DP World Tour’s calendar, not together with the Dubai Invitational, Niemann might elect to play extra occasions to extend his factors and enhance his outlook on the tour.
Tom McKibbin had a robust displaying as effectively, taking pictures ten beneath par and ending T-5. Sergio Garcia and Adrian Meronk each tied for 14th, whereas Jon Rahm tied for twenty fourth. 4 LIV Tour gamers didn’t make the reduce on the occasion.
Two gamers, each with earlier expertise on LIV and the identical end on the Irish Open, have very completely different outlooks and ranges of certainty as they head into 2027.
This text was initially revealed on m
