Patrick Reed Withdraws Again, Citing Ankle Injury

Patrick Reed’s hopes of qualifying for the U.S. Ryder Cup team took a hit Thursday when he withdrew before the start of The Northern Trust because of an ankle injury.

It’s the second consecutive week in which Reed pulled out of an event before the opening tee shot. He was not replaced in the field, so the first playoff event continued with 123 players.

Last week at the Wyndham Championship, where he was a past champion, there was no reason given for Reed’s pre-tournament withdrawal. Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis reported that Reed had sprained his left ankle two weeks ago at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and is still recovering.

Full-field scores from The Northern Trust

It’s unfortunate timing for Captain America, with the Ryder Cup qualifying deadline looming. The top-6 cutoff is after next week’s BMW Championship, and Reed is currently ninth in the standings. Any lingering effects from Reed’s injury could impact captain Steve Stricker’s wildcard choices as well.

A winner at Torrey Pines earlier this year, Reed has played a typically busy schedule this summer, but he doesn’t have a finish better than 19th in his past seven starts. He won at Liberty National the last time The Northern Trust was held there, in 2019.

Reed began the playoffs at No. 22 in the FedExCup standings. With his opening WD, he is currently projected to drop to 27th.