Patrick Reed will make his first appearance since his controversial remarks following the United States’ Ryder Cup defeat when he plays in next week’s WGC-HSBC Champions in China, an event that counts on both the PGA and European tours.
The reigning Masters champion, Reed will be joined by the year’s other major champions, Brooks Koepka, who won the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and Francesco Molinari, who won The Open.
The 78-player field will also feature five of the top six players in the world, including No. 1 Dustin Johnson and defending champion Justin Rose, who along with Molinari are two of the 10 members of the victorious European Ryder Cup team who will be competing.
The event has a $10 million purse with $1.7 million going to the winner. It is being played at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai.
It is the fourth event on the PGA Tour’s 2018-19 schedule and the third of three being played in Asia following this weekend’s CJ Cup in South Korea.
The event also kicks off the European Tour’s season-ending push which will see it go to Turkey, South Africa and then Dubai for DP World Tour Championship.
Reed is a member of both tours and thus the tournament will be his first of the new season on the PGA Tour. He is currently third in the tour’s Race to Dubai standings behind Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood and is also expected to compete in the Dubai event next month.
In the aftermath of the U.S. Ryder Cup defeat, Reed, 28, said the decision-making process at the Ryder Cup was a “buddy system” and he questioned why he was not paired at all with Jordan Spieth, with whom he had previously formed a successful partnership.
Reed went 1-2 at the Ryder Cup, losing both his team matches with Tiger Woods. Reed also questioned why he wasn’t used in all five matches.