Winless Reed closes in on title at LIV Golf Dallas as 4Aces and Crushers battle for top spot

US golfer Patrick Reed has never won a senior or professional tournament in his hime state of Texas. Neither has he stood on the top step of a LIV Golf individual podium in 40 previous starts despite his 11 top five finishes, including five podium results since 2022.

The San Antonio-born Reed now stands 18 holes away from ending that extended drought at LIV Golf Dallas. He has seven team victories with the 4Aces GC, including the inaugural 2022 team championship and is also in line for another team win, but the one that really matters to him is the individual result.

“To get my first LIV victory as well as doing it in my home state would mean a lot,” said the Houston resident. “But really, at the end of the day, instead of trying to focus on what happens on the 54th hole, it’s stay in the moment. Stay in the present.

“The golf game feels pretty solid. Everything seems to be tight and where I want it to be. The biggest thing is going out there and not trying to press, not trying to force anything and really just go out and try to win the day as if it's a Monday qualifier.”

In the second round at the challenging Maridoe track, Reed shot a solid 4 under par 68 to hold a three-shot lead with his 9 under 135 aggregate It is his first 36-hole lead since joining LIV Golf in Portland three years ago.

In the team event too, the Dustin Johnson-led 4Aces are ahead of the rest by four strokes and in search of a first win since London in the 2023 season. Sharing second place are Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, winners of the last two events, and Legion XIII led by Spain’s Jon Rahm. No other teams are within 13 shots of the leaders.

There is also plenty of interest as to who will fill the fifth and final slot for next month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Ireland. Currently the leading claimant for that final exemption is Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia though he has team mate David Puig in hot pursuit.

Victory for Puig would net him 40 points in the individual standings and carry him past Garcia, but there are other permutations and combinations on the table. “It's definitely a goal of mine,” Puig said.

“Anytime someone can avoid going to the (Open) qualifier, it's great. That's the main goal. Obviously, I want to play the Open. It's one of the best tournaments of the year. I really want to be there, and I'm trying to do as much as I can and my part to be able to be there.”

Meanwhile, Crushers captain DeChambeau, a Dallas-area resident who promoted the event heavily was was ecstatic about the turnout so far. “This is what it's about,” he said. “We were able to bring some people out here with my little debacle, I guess you could say, sitting up on one of the freeways there. I don't think insurance is going to cover that, but it's fine.

“It was great to see the fans out in storm and this is what the hometown of Dallas is about. Great crowds, great people, great atmosphere, and it sure is a fun time.”