DALLAS — Patrick Reed‘s streak of playing every major since the 2014 Masters ended on Monday when he withdrew from U.S. Open qualifying, leaving the LIV Golf player no other avenue to earn a spot at Pinehurst No. 2.
Reed did well enough in the Masters (tie for 12th) to move enough into the top 100 in the world, and the PGA Championship gave him an invitation to play last week at Valhalla.
The U.S. Open took the top 60 in the world from this week’s ranking. Reed is at No. 92 – he would have needed third place at Valhalla to crack the top 60, and he finished in a tie for 53rd. His only other avenue was to go through a 36-hole qualifier. He chose the Dallas site held Monday, and withdrew.
The USGA said once a player signs up for a qualifier, he cannot enter another one.
The Dallas qualifier, the first of 11 in North America, had nine players from LIV Golf, including Sergio Garcia and Abraham Ancer. Reed was among them until he withdrew. The USGA did not disclose why Reed and nine other players pulled out.
The other 10 qualifiers are June 3.
Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, qualified for the U.S. Open last year. He has played in every U.S. Open dating to 2000, his first full year as a pro. He shot 66 in the morning round at Dallas Athletic Club.
Monday was another step toward filling the field for the U.S. Open on June 15-18 with 52 players added to the 156-man field – 21 from the top 60 in the world and 23 of them through 36-hole qualifiers in Dallas, Japan and England.
Justin Rose, whose 10-year exemption from winning the U.S. Open at Merion expired last year, tied for sixth at the PGA Championship and moved up 12 spots to No. 56 to avoid qualifying. Among those falling out of the top 60 was Adam Scott.
Billy Horschel, who won the Dominican Republic, Valspar Championship winner Peter Malnati and Mackenzie Hughes were among the leading five players in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings not already eligible for the U.S. Open who were added to the field. The U.S. Open exempted three others from the European tour’s Race to Dubai – two from last year who didn’t otherwise qualify and the leading player this year not already in.
Ryo Ishikawa led the three qualifiers in Japan, while the nine players who qualified in England included Robert Rock and Matteo Manassero.