SAN DIEGO (AP) — Patrick Reed is the second major champion to leave Saudi-funded LIV Golf, announcing Wednesday he will spend the rest of the year on the European tour with an eye on returning to the PGA Tour as early as September.
His stunning decision, just three days after he won the Dubai Desert Classic, comes the same week that five-time major champion Brooks Koepka returns to the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines.
“I’m a traditionalist at heart, and I was born to play on the PGA Tour, which is where my story began with my wife, Justine,” Reed said. “I am very fortunate for the opportunities that have come my way and grateful for the life we have created. I am moving forward in my career, and I look forward to competing on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. I can’t wait to get back out there and revisit some of the best places on earth.”
The PGA Tour sent a memo to players outlining the path back for players like Reed, who did not fit into the “Returning Member Program” that was offered only to those who had won a major or The Players Championship since 2022.
Reed won the Masters in 2018. The tour said he would be eligible to return a year from his last LIV Golf appearance on Aug. 24, 2025. He would not face additional discipline from the PGA Tour because Reed resigned his membership when he left for LIV, and he was not part of the antitrust lawsuit filed against the PGA Tour in 2022.
Reed can play in the FedEx Cup Fall — the first event is the Biltmore Championship Asheville in North Carolina on Sept. 17-20 — if he receives a sponsor exemption. He cannot use his limited status as a past champion until 2027.
Reed also could earn a full card by finishing among the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai who don't already have PGA Tour membership. His victory in Dubai moved him to No. 2 in the standings, and now he has a full schedule in Europe — commercially known as the DP World Tour — ahead of him.
He also is set for the four majors, having risen to No. 29 in the world.
LIV Golf begins its fifth season in one week in Saudi Arabia. Reed is playing in Bahrain this week as part of the European tour schedule, his third straight week.
Upon his return to the PGA Tour, Reed would not be eligible to receive shares in the Player Equity Program through 2030. That was part of the agreement for Koepka's return — no equity for five years, and no access to FedEx Cup bonus money this year.
Reed would be eligible to be a captain's pick for the Presidents Cup in September.
Reed last played a team competition in the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia. While he has a 12-9-5 record overall in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup competitions, his last two appearances included some negativity. He complained to The New York Times about not being used the right way in a U.S. loss in Paris in 2018, and his caddie shoved a fan in Australia in 2019.
It was not clear who would replace Reed on the 4 Aces team in LIV Golf, which begins its fifth season next week in Riyadh. Dustin Johnson is the captain, with LIV newcomer Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters also on the team.
The tour said three other players — Kevin Na, Hudson Swafford and Pat Perez — also have reinstated their membership but face other disciplinary issues the tour did not disclose.
Perez, who is eligible for the PGA Tour Champions through career money, and Swafford were plaintiffs on the antitrust lawsuit filed against the tour. Perez and Swafford, who last played LIV Golf in 2024, can return in 2027. Perez was part of the LIV broadcast team last year.
Reed doesn't have the achievements of Koepka, though he has long been a polarizing figure that often overlooks his status as one of the most global players in golf and fiercest competitors. He has won 12 times on four tours — often playing in Europe or Asia without big appearance fees — and began his PGA Tour career by going through Monday qualifiers.
He is best known for taking down Rory McIlroy in a spirited Ryder Cup match at Hazeltine in 2016, and engaging the Scottish crowd when he made his Ryder Cup debut in 2014.
But he came under scrutiny in the Bahamas in 2019 at the Hero World Challenge for being penalized two shots for twice swiping sand behind his golf ball in a waste area, improving his lie.
Reed said he would continue to compete on the European tour as an honorary member, afforded to him from his Masters victory. The European tour is in Qatar next week. It then goes to South Africa for three weeks, China and India heading into the Masters.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Patrick Reed of the United States plays his second shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Winner Patrick Reed of the United States poses with the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Patrick Reed of the United States reacts after winning the Dubai Desert Classic in United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man who squirted an unknown substance on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis has a criminal history and has made online posts supportive of President Donald Trump.
Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, was convicted of felony auto theft in 1989, has been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence, and has had numerous traffic citations, Minnesota court records show. There are also indications he has had significant financial problems, including two bankruptcy filings.
Police say Kazmierczak used a syringe to squirt liquid on Omar during Tuesday's event after she called for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Officers immediately tackled and arrested Kazmierczak, who was jailed on a preliminary third-degree assault charge, police spokesperson Trevor Folke said.
Photos of the syringe, which fell when he was tackled, showed what appeared to be a light-brown liquid inside. Authorities haven’t yet publicly identified the substance.
After the attack, there was a strong, vinegarlike smell in the room, according to an Associated Press journalist who was there. Forensic scientists were called in, but none of the roughly 100 people who were there had a noticeable physical reaction to the substance.
Omar continued speaking for about 25 minutes after Kazmierczak was ushered out, saying she wouldn't be intimidated. While leaving, she said she felt a little flustered but wasn’t hurt, and that she was going to be screened by a medical team.
She later posted on X: “I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win.”
Kazmierczak hadn't been formally charged or scheduled for an initial court appearance as of Wednesday morning. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has until Thursday to charge him but could seek an extension. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office didn't immediately return a call seeking further information.
It isn't clear if Kazmierczak has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. The county's chief public defender, Michael Berger, said the case hasn't been assigned to his office.
In social media posts, Kazmierczak described himself as a former network engineer who lives in Minneapolis. Among other things, he made comments critical of former President Joe Biden and referred to Democrats as “angry and liars.”
“Trump wants the US is stronger and more prosperous,” Kazmierczak wrote. “Stop other countries from stealing from us. Bring back the fear that enemies back away from and gain respect that If anyone threatens ourselves or friends we will (expletive) them up.”
In another post, Kazmierczak asked, “When will descendants of slaves pay restitution to Union soldiers families for freeing them/dying for them, and not sending them back to Africa?”
Following the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September, Kazmierczak for a time changed his profile picture on Facebook to an AP photo of Trump embracing the widow, Erika Kirk.
Omar, a progressive, has been a frequent target of Trump's barbs since she joined Congress in 2019.
That year, Trump urged Omar and three other freshmen congresswomen of color known as “the squad” to “ go back ” to their countries if they wanted to criticize the U.S. Omar was the only one of the four born outside of the U.S., having immigrated to the country as a child when her family fled violence in Somalia.
Trump stepped up his criticism of Omar in recent months as he turned his focus on the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, which is home to about 84,000 people of Somali descent — nearly a third of the Somalis living in the U.S. During a Cabinet meeting in December, he referred to her as “garbage." And he has linked the Twin Cities immigration crackdown to a series of fraud cases involving government programs in which most of the defendants have roots in the East African country.
The White House did not respond to a Tuesday message seeking comment. But, when asked about the attack Tuesday night, he told ABC News that he hadn't watched the footage and accused her of staging the attack. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” Trump said.
Earlier Tuesday, the president criticized Omar as he spoke to a crowd in Iowa, saying his administration would only let in immigrants who “can show that they love our country.”
“They have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar,” he said, drawing loud boos at the mention of her name.
He added: “She comes from a country that’s a disaster. So probably, it’s considered, I think — it’s not even a country.”
The attack came days after a man was arrested in Utah for allegedly punching U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Florida, in the face during the Sundance Film Festival and saying Trump was going to deport him.
Threats against members of Congress have increased in recent years, peaking in 2021 following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol before dipping slightly only to climb again, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Capitol Police.
Following Tuesday's attack on Omar, U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that the agency was “working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society.”
Lawmakers have discussed the impact of the threatening political climate on their ability to hold town halls and public events, with some even citing it in their decisions not to seek reelection.
Biesecker reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter R.J. Rico in Atlanta contributed.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a town hall in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)
A man is tackled to the ground after spraying an unknown substance on U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., during a town hall on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)
