NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Patrick Reed kept grinding at Carlton Woods close to his home in Texas and played with his young kids as a stay-at-home dad during his break from professional golf ahead of the PGA Championship.
Reed's time off since the Masters wasn't all his choice, of course.
He took the hiatus as part of the terms of his decision to leave the Saudi-backed LIV Golf and return to the PGA Tour.
Maybe a break was all he needed to get his mind right for the PGA at Aronimink Golf Club. Reed shot a 2-under 68 on Thursday and had the only bogey-free round.
Reed flashed a reminder — doubtful anyone really forgot — of what he'll bring to the Tour when he returns full time. Under the terms of his reinstatement, Reed cannot play in its events until after Aug. 25, which means most of this season will be spent on the European tour.
He already has won twice on that tour this season, but decided not to return overseas ahead of the PGA. Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, did shoot practice rounds last week at Aronimink.
Reed's days were marked by windy, warm and rainy weather, three days of mixed elements he said prepared him well for what was ahead once he played the suburban Philadelphia course for real this weekend. Sure enough, he got windy and warm on Thursday — and overnight rain left the course a bit damp in the morning.
“I really felt like it helped going into this week because you just never know,” Reed said.
You never know.
Just like Reed insisted he no inkling the Saudis were pulling out of ballyhooed Liv Golf. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund officially pulled the plug on future funding for LIV Golf late last month.
“Hope the guys continue playing some solid golf and get their opportunities,” Reed said. “Whatever their future is, whether it’s on DP Tour, try to get back to PGA Tour or wherever they’re playing, hopefully continue to play solid golf and go out there and do what they do.”
Reed acknowledged at the Masters that LIV had presented him with a contract earlier this year to remain one of its biggest stars. But when he talked with his family, he said: “I felt like the best decision for us was to come back and join the PGA Tour."
That included staying at home with his wife and two young children after he finished tied for 12th in the Masters in early April.
“Usually coming into majors a little tired, even though I would say I’m tournament ready, because I’ve played a lot of tournament golf, but you don’t really actually get to prepare,” Reed said. “When I wasn’t playing golf, I was able to kind of get away from the game, spend time with family and the kiddos, and just kind off mentally reset and get myself mentally and physically sharp coming in.”
Once the PGA ends, Reeds intends to take more time off until the US Open in June at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York.
“Once the US Open gets here, it’s going to be hot and heavy,” Reed said.
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FILE - Patrick Reed hits from the fairway on the second hole during the final round of the Masters golf tournament, April 12, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The two Democrats vying to be Iowa's next U.S. senator each tried to explain in a debate Thursday why he's the one to flip the Republican-held seat, showcasing a struggle within the party over the best strategy to reclaim the U.S. Senate this fall.
State Rep. Josh Turek said he's the “battle-tested” candidate who has won in his red state House district by reaching independents and moderate Republicans who supported President Donald Trump. State Sen. Zach Wahls criticized national Democratic leaders, including Sen. Chuck Schumer, who he says have abandoned rural and working-class voters who are frustrated with both parties.
The two spent a largely cordial hour showing many areas of agreement, but an influx of outside spending and recent big-name endorsements has intensified one of the few remaining competitive Democratic Senate primaries this year.
Both Democrats directed most of their attacks toward Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is seeking the GOP nomination.
Iowa’s Republican Sen. Joni Ernst opted out of a reelection bid, leaving the seat open for the first time since she replaced retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin in 2014. Republican Senate leaders have backed Hinson, who represents northeast Iowa, and the campaign arm has committed $29 million to help her keep their thin majority.
Democrats see an opportunity to flip seats in the once-competitive state, despite Trump’s double-digit win in the last presidential election and an all-Republican federal delegation. The political committee aligned with Senate Democrats said Thursday it was investing $13 million in the state. But Iowa Democrats first need to settle on which federal candidate will be at the top of the ticket. Early voting began Wednesday.
Turek said his win in a Trump district will translate statewide, making him the best candidate to go up against a full-fledged Republican operation heading into the general election.
“My opponent, Zach Wahls, has never run against a Republican,” Turek said. “I know that there is something specific about my story, my background, my resume ... that really has this unique ability to win over independents, which are the kingmakers in the process, and moderate Republicans.”
Wahls said he's gone up against plenty of Republicans to advocate and “defend families like mine,” referencing a 2011 speech he made to Iowa lawmakers about his two moms that went viral. Wahls maintained that winning back rural and working-class voters lies with offering a different kind of Democratic Party and a new leader of Senate Democrats.
“We need to win back the trust of rural and blue-collar voters who were written off and lost by Chuck Schumer,” Wahls said. “We have a choice: Run the same playbook that Chuck Schumer ran and lose, or fight for the voters that he wrote off and win them back.”
Wahls has been critical of Turek for not rejecting Schumer as caucus leader. Turek says he would question any leader candidate on what they would do for Iowa and Iowans.
Both candidates focused their attacks Thursday on Hinson. Turek and Wahls, aligned on many issues, criticized votes Hinson has taken in the House to support Trump's agenda.
Each said he would not support the Republican president’s tariffs or the war in Iran. Wahls said Hinson had “rubber stamped” Trump's approach by voting againsta resolution to curb the president's powers in the Iran war, which Wahls blamed for higher gas prices and farmer input costs, including diesel and fertilizer.
Turek criticized Hinson's support for Trump’s tax and spending cuts package. He said he supports no tax on tips and overtime, which he described as policies that support the middle class, but said the law's cuts to Medicaid and food assistance exacerbated a “crisis in this state, unique to Iowa.”
Both candidates criticized corruption in Washington and proposed higher taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans.
Wahls criticized Turek for missing several votes on bills related to reproductive health care, including one that bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and another that would have criminalized the death of an “unborn person.”
Turek explained his absence during the one-day special session vote on Iowa's abortion law, saying he had a serious medical issue related to his disability. He apologized in a newsletter after “to all of my constituents for not being able to cast my vote against this bill on your behalf.”
Turek's campaign said he was in Washington at a legislative summit for disability issues during the other vote.
Wahls also hit Turek for a vote he took in committee supporting a wide-ranging bill that included funding for centers that discourage women from getting abortions. Turek voted against the bill on the House floor.
Both candidates said they would work to codify access to abortion in the U.S. Senate.
While Wahls and Turek have raised and spent similar amounts, a Democratic political organization, VoteVets, has spent about $7 million to support Turek in the final stretch of the campaign. That's more than the two candidates have spent combined.
Turek, who is not a veteran, was born with spina bifida after his father’s exposure to chemicals while serving in the Vietnam War. The group has said Turek is uniquely positioned to advocate for veterans’ services, especially health care and military families.
Wahls has criticized the influx of cash as insiders in Washington trying to exert outsized influence.
Another group purchased more than $40,000 in airtime to support Wahls this week, according to filings. Iowa Action was funded by a lawyer with a California address who has also donated directly to Wahls' campaign.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.
This combination of file photos shows Iowa State Sen. and candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate Zach Wahls speaking in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Sept, 11, 2025, left, and Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek speaking in Des Moines, Iowa, April 8, 2026, right. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP, File)
