Patrick Reed set to return for Tour Championship after battling pneumonia
Ryder Cup postponed until 2021 due to COVID-19
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Patrick Reed has confirmed he has recovered from pneumonia and will return to this week’s FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship, with Steve Stricker’s wildcard Ryder Cup picks just round the corner.
Reed had missed the opening two play-off events at the Northern Trust and BMW Championship after being hospitalised for the illness two weeks ago. However, it seems the 2018 Masters champion has now made a full recovery meaning he will make the trip to East Lake for the season finale.
The 31-year-old’s return is an important one for his Ryder Cup hopes as he looks to pick up a fourth consecutive appearance for Team USA.
America’s six automatic places were confirmed following last week’s BMW Championship, with Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay all making the cut.
Therefore, Reed’s recent absence means he will now be relying on being one of the six wildcard picks from captain Stricker, with the likes of Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau and Phil Mickelson all bidding for a wildcard spot.
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The 31-year-old took to Twitter to announce his return, tweeting: “#TeamReed Road Trip! ATL here we come! Really appreciated everyone’s prayers and well wishes. Excited to get back out there and give it my best shot this week!
The event will be the American’s first on the PGA Tour in four weeks, after he was forced to miss the Wyndham Championship a week prior to the play-off season, and his illness after picking up an ankle injury.
The nine-time PGA Tour winner could have been without another week of golf, after he only just secured a place in the Tour Championship as he sits 30th in the FedEx Cup standings.
As a result, only the top-30 players from the standings secured a spot at the finale event, and after four weeks with no golf the American saw his name slide further and further down the rankings.
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In spite of this, Reed no doubt blew a sigh of relief following Sunday’s final round of the BMW Championship as he was able to just cling on to the 30th and final spot, however it wasn’t all plain sailing.
It looked as if South Korean K.H. Lee would be the man to take up the final Tour Championship spot as he headed down the 18th at Caves Valley on Sunday’s final round.
However a calamitous second shot from the fairway saw him send his ball way right and into a spectator stand, forcing him to chip out from the waste land surrounding the green, leading to a heart-breaking bogey that cost him his place at this week’s event.
Lee’s loss was of course Reed’s gain, as the South Korean’s misfortune meant Reed snook back into the top-30 to pick up a spot at East Lake for the eighth year in a row.
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