DOONBEG, IRELAND – SEPTEMBER 12: Patrick Reed of the United States tees off on the sixth hole on day three of the Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg on September 12, 2026 in Doonbeg, Ireland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
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Shane Lowry ran away from the field at Trump International Doonbeg, winning the Irish Open by eleven shots, but the bigger story might be who tied for second.
At twelve under par, Patrick Reed and Joaquín Niemann tied for second.
Formerly a LIV Golf player, Patrick Reed needed a pathway back to the PGA Tour after renouncing his membership last year. Reed has two wins this season, at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the Qatar Masters. With a second-place finish at the Irish Open, he solidified his high position in the Race to Dubai standings and remains in first place ahead of Rory McIlroy.
“This little run I’ve had, two wins and a second, it’s awesome. We couldn’t ask anything more than what we did,” Reed said on PGA Tour.com. “It’s special, especially to get two wins early on in the season, and hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”
Niemann is in a very different position. Where Reed’s future looks secure going into next year, Niemann faces uncertainty. The LIV Golf Tour filed for bankruptcy on September 8, with a call for LIV 2.0 to take its place as the league moves forward with a new framework.
Bankruptcy court documents list him as an unsecured creditor. LIV Golf owes his company, Joaquín Niemann LLC, exactly $1,307,692.31 under a player participation agreement.
“We believe deeply in LIV Golf’s future, the opportunity in front of us, and the people who will help us realize it,” LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement in Reuters.
Niemann is currently ranked 37th in the Official World Golf Ranking but lacks major-tour status to earn his way back into the PGA Tour via points. He is not a member of the DP World Tour, instead playing on a sponsor’s exemption for the tournament. With the future of LIV up in the air and no clear pathway into the PGA Tour, secondary status on the DP World Tour could be the only professional avenue for LIV players in 2027.
With five events left on the DP World Tour’s calendar, not including the Dubai Invitational, Niemann may elect to play more events to increase his points and improve his outlook on the tour.
Tom McKibbin had a strong showing as well, shooting ten under par and finishing T-5. Sergio Garcia and Adrian Meronk both tied for 14th, while Jon Rahm tied for 24th. Four LIV Tour players failed to make the cut at the event.
Two players, both with previous experience on LIV and the same finish at the Irish Open, have very different outlooks and levels of certainty as they head into 2027.
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