Patrick Reed Withdraws From BMW PGA Championship With Injury

Patrick Reed withdrew from the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club on Friday, pulling out mid-round with an apparent wrist and shoulder injury after an opening 4-under 68 had put him three shots off the lead.

What happened during Reed's second round?

Reed's day unraveled quickly on the West Course. He made a triple bogey at the first and added two more doubles, going out in 9 over through nine holes. Television commentators speculated he may have hit a tree root on his downswing while trying to escape the trees on the ninth hole, and Reed was seen grimacing and dropping his club after the shot.

He played on gingerly, feeling pain in his left shoulder and wrist, but withdrew after his tee shot on the 10th. He handed his scorecard to his playing partners and was driven off the course by cart, with the severity of the injury not yet known.

What was at stake for Reed at Wentworth?

Reed came into the week atop the Race to Dubai standings, a lead he has held since Feb. 9 after winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters to open the season and padding his margin with a runner-up finish at the Amgen Irish Open. He held a lead of just under 900 points over Rory McIlroy, who is chasing a record-extending eighth Race to Dubai title.

Reed's withdrawal hands McIlroy an opening to close the gap with a top finish at Wentworth.

Reed, who left LIV Golf at the end of his contract and is working to earn his way back to the PGA Tour through a top-10 Race to Dubai finish, had spoken before the tournament about what a season-long title would mean to him. "It would mean a lot," he said Thursday. "I've always prided myself as being an American that consistently comes over and shows support to this tour."

Only Morikawa has previously won the Race to Dubai as an American. With several events still to play, Reed's position at the top is no longer guaranteed, and the extent of his injury will determine how soon he returns to competition.