Author: Sports Staff

New Era For Baseball: The Rise Of A Professional League

Sports

Dani Colon, Editor

For the first time since 1954, there is finally an all women’s professional baseball league (WPBL),with four teams from Boston, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco. However, there aren’t any travel/away games–this keeps expenses low, as the league predicted that views would have low ratings. 

Wanting to start the season in a calm setting, the first ever game was set in rural Springfield, Illinois at Robin Roberts Stadium (Hall of Fame Phillies pitcher). Springfield, Illinois is home to one of the oldest paid women’s baseball games since 1875. With a sold out game of 4,000 fans, it was a hit. Starting off the season, the league had won 30 games. Also being held was the first professional Women’s Baseball Draft in history at Nationals Park. Before the league started, more than 600 players from 10 different countries made it to the draft.

The first girl to pitch a complete shutout win in the little league world series at just 13-years-old, Mo’ne Davis, was picked up by the Los Angeles Queens. San Francisco had the first pick and selected Kelsie Whitmore, who has played for USA Baseball and also plays as a pitcher and outfielder for Savannah Bananas. While the first game started, New York Queens catcher Denae Benites was the first woman to hit a home run in WPBL history. Benites not only was able to get the first home run, but also led the 2026 season with 11 home runs. Ayami Sato, pitcher for the Los Angeles Queens was also the first in WPBL history to throw a first complete game shutout against San Francisco. 

The WPBL is important because it gives women another chance to play baseball professionally. There has never been a professional Women’s Baseball League in the United States since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ended in 1954. Now, women from different countries have a new place to play and compete.

As the season came to a quick end, the Los Angeles Queens faced the San Francisco Fireballs in the WPBL championship round on September 16 with a close score of 7-6. The fireballs recorded 20 hits while also scoring the most runs in the league during the whole season and the most home runs (19). This is a whole new history being made for the WPBL;these stats will be used for measurements for next upcoming seasons. While the Queens took the championship being the first champions in WPBL history, Ayami Sato was also named the MVP and first in WPBL history. 

The league is still pretty small right now, with only four teams and all the games being played in one stadium. This is just the first season, and more history is to be made. 

The Doug Eddings Controversy and Race in MLB

Sports

Dani Colon, Editor

Baseball is already considered a “luxury sport,” with gear costing hundreds of dollars and some little league clubs even charging over $2,000 per child, not even guaranteeing a spot in the MLB. These clubs clearly just want to make a profit off of children and their families and claim that their club is the “best” because one child went to Division I. 

According to MLB.com, by 1981, there were over 177 African American players in the MLB, and in 1990 there were 156 players. The number of African American players continued to plummet, while in 2023 there were only 59 African American players in the MLB. Black kids who live in urban settings, only 6% of them have access to baseball fields, while Black kids who live in rural and suburban settings have between 11-13% access to fields. Whereas white kids who live in rural, suburban and urban settings have between 10-13% access to them.

The MLB wasn’t integrated until 1947, with racism being so high in the sport that it took years for Black players to even have the same opportunity to play. Even today, racism can still be seen in baseball through the lack of African American players and the unequal access that some Black children have to baseball. With children wanting to go pro, they always have a chance to do so through college offers and recruitment, but even the college application process can create barriers for students. This can make it harder for students who already have less access to resources to continue playing baseball at a higher level.

On September 5th, 2026, the St. Louis Cardinals faced the Colorado Rockies. Rookie Hancel Rincon from the Dominican Republic came in to pitch, and it was his first major league debut. However, when the pitch was released, the Rockies scored an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. When the runner was coming home, the St. Louis’ third baseman came in and tried to tag the runner; this was ruled safe. St. Louis manager Oli Marmol, who is also of Dominican descent, decided to challenge the call. When the play was under review, home plate umpire Doug Eddings made the final decision that the call was safe. When he ruled the call, Eddings was very enthusiastic about the decision, almost like he was happy to prove Marmol wrong, and glanced at him.

While the next pitch was released, Rincon was visibly nervous and hit Eddings in the foot. It could be understandable that Eddings might think it was on purpose after that. Rincon winds up to pitch, but Eddings stops the game and tells the St. Louis catcher to communicate to Rincon to fix his hat, saying that it “won’t slide on his field.” Now, Marmol becomes visibly upset because this all had a common theme. The St. Louis catcher laughs and thinks this cannot be serious because when the footage is played back, there is no difference in the hat from before he was asked to fix it and after it was fixed.

This did not make sense to anyone in the St. Louis dugout, and players were visibly confused. Some people thought it was just the way Doug Eddings is because he has been known to make strict or unusual rules. But to Marmol, he had to defend his player. He told Eddings to “be a big boy,” and things ultimately started to get heated between the two, with them exchanging explicit words and Marmol ending up being ejected from the game.

This situation shows how racism and bias can appear in baseball. Eddings’ treatment of Rincon seemed different from how a player should normally be treated, especially over something as small as the way his hat was being worn. Rincon was already visibly nervous during his first major league appearance, and instead of helping calm the situation down, Eddings continued to confront him. This is a prime example of racism, because Rincon is a player of color who was being singled out and treated differently. Even though Eddings did not directly say anything racist, racism does not always happen through comments. By the end of the game, Eddings blamed a Rockies batter for saying that the hat was distracting, but when footage was played back, the batter never spoke to Eddings. 

The next day, Eddings was reprimanded by the MLB front office, and St. Louis players came to the game standing in unison with their teammate, having their hats on backwards and in many different ways. The situation affected the entire team and brought more attention to the way Rincon was treated.

If at First You Fail Miserably, Try Again?

Sports

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

LIV Golf set out to disrupt the golf world back in 2022; now just over four years later, the league that promised to reinvent professional golf is being forced to reinvent itself. After more than $5 billion in investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund between 2022–2026, LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September. The filing marks the lowest point yet for a league that, not long ago, looked capable of permanently changing the structure of professional golf and forced the hand of the PGA Tour. 

How did we end up here? At the beginning of 2025, LIV Golf did not look like a league headed toward bankruptcy. In fact, professional golf appeared closer than ever to putting its civil war behind it. After more than a year of negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the discussions made their way to the White House. Then PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, Tiger Woods and Adam Scott met with PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and President Donald Trump in February, with hopes that a deal could finally reunify professional golf. They eventually never came to a deal, hung up on what “reunification” looked like. Monahan wanted to allow LIV to control a global circuit; Al Ruemeyer wanted to have LIV operate as an entity under the PGA, and wanted to have a co-Chairman seat next to Monahan.

The two tours went their separate ways, with reorganizing occurring in both. Brian Rolapp took over as president of the PGA Tour, and Scott O’Neil as president of LIV, succeeding founder and golf legend Greg Norman. Things eventually came to a head for LIV in April of 2025.

The PIF announced it would stop funding LIV Golf beyond the 2026 season. After pouring more than $5 billion into the league since its inception, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund was finally turning out after four years of the tour not getting off the ground. For a league built almost entirely around the financial backing of the PIF, the announcement immediately put LIV’s future into question. This marked the beginning of the end for LIV 1.0. 

From April 2026 to now, LIV has endured a series of events that evoke a sarcastic, “you really hate to see it.” There are too many to list. Eventually, the season got cut short, mass layoffs ensued and eventually Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

LIV is not disappearing completely. Instead, bankruptcy will serve as a reset. “LIV 2.0” is expected to operate with a smaller schedule, outside investment and a more sustainable structure than the guaranteed-contracts model that defined its first four years. The biggest question is who stays. Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann and Michael La Sasso are the three names to watch to return to the PGA Tour. Rahm and Niemann have held tour cards, so their return may be straightforward. La Sasso, on the other hand, skipped his senior year at Ole Miss to join LIV, never held a tour card; his road to PGA Tour status is one in question. 

LIV 2.0 has been speculated to be a “social media” dominant tour. Meaning that it will lean into the “YouTube Golf” scene led by none other than the YouTube golfer himself, Bryson DeChambeau.

The PGA Championship comes to Philadelphia

Sports

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

The second Major of the year, the PGA Championship, returns to Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square for the first time in 64 years. 

Pound for pound, Pennsylvania is home to the most legendary and prestigious golf courses in the union, from Oakmont Country Club and Fox Chapel Golf Club in the west to Philadelphia Country Club and Merion Golf Club in the east. The heart of Pennsylvania golf, however, can be found in the southeastern corner of the state, surrounding Philadelphia. Here you will step onto one historic golf course after walking off of another. This dense and history rich area is home to courses such as the aforementioned Merion and Philly Country, as well as Philadelphia Cricket Club, Llanerch, Rolling Green, Manufacturers and, of course, Aronimink. 

With such a deeply ingrained golf culture and a plethora of courses to choose from, it is bewildering at how infrequently this area hosts a tour event. Since 2013, the Philadelphia area has hosted three men’s-professional golf events: 2013 US Open at Merion, 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink and the 2025 Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket. The 2013 US Open was the last major this area hosted since 1981, when Merion was also the host of the US Open. The PGA Championship coming to Aronimink marks an optimistic step up to the national stage for Philadelphia golf, and with Merion set to be a recurring host of the US Open starting in 2030, more and more fans will start to be exposed to the prestige of Philadelphia golf. 

Aronimink is a very interesting choice of course to host the PGA. The last time the club hosted this event was back in 1962, when the legendary Gary Player won shooting 2 under par for the tournament. Since then, it has hosted just three professional men’s events: The 2010 and ‘11 AT&T National and the 2018 BMW. The return to Aronimink and the Philadelphia area is the way the PGA is paying tribute to our country’s 250th anniversary. 

Designed by the legendary course architect Donald Ross, Aronimink opened on Memorial Day in 1928. Following a classic Ross design, Aronimink is filled with tree-lined fairways, strategic bunkering and subtle green complexes that demand precision over power. While the course has been lengthened and modernized over time, it still retains the architectural identity that made Ross designs so respected in championship golf. That exemplification of tradition is what makes Aronimink intriguing as a major venue.

To put the course under a bit of scrutiny, however, questions have been raised about its ability to fully test today’s longest hitters on the PGA Tour. Modern championship golf has increasingly favored distance and aerial control, raising the question of whether a classic, tree-lined layout can adequately stretch the game’s best players. Still, others argue that precision-based courses like Aronimink are exactly what major championships need to prove that elite golf is not only about power, but also about patience, strategy and execution under pressure.

The PGA Championship is a premier event that helps the golf season launch into the summer. It is a great event for players to get their first major title, as well as players to pick up their second or third. This weekend will also give Jordan Spieth another try at completing the career grand-slam, which would make him the eighth player to achieve such a feat.

Golf green via Wikicommons

Back in bloom, 2026 Masters Tournament preview

Sports

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

The flowers are in full bloom on the most hallowed grounds in golf. Every year, we head down to Georgia the first week of April to celebrate the champions of the past and to find out who will don the Green Jacket next. 

The 2025 Masters Tournament was about as close to perfection as you can possibly imagine. Rory McIlroy got his masterpiece, completing the career grand slam after a 14-year journey, defeating Justin Rose in a thrilling playoff. 

The bar is set high for 2026, and for the first time in a while, there is no clear favorite. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler looks completely out of sorts, McIlroy is battling through a post-Masters hangover, and it seems the rest of the field is chomping at the bit. Here are three players to keep an eye on for the week.

Ludvig Åberg

Åberg is starting to become a regular contender at Augusta. In his first Masters start back in 2024, he finished solo second, four shots beyond the champion, Scheffler. In 2025, Åberg was in contention all week and was even tied for the lead with Rose and McIlroy late on Sunday, but ultimately faded in the final three holes and finished seventh. After Åberg’s poor play on Sunday at the Players Championship this year, concerns are starting to be raised about his play under pressure. Despite these concerns, Åberg is still one of the best ball strikers on tour, and on a course like Augusta, this is key. Under pressure, he starts to become wild off the tee, but for the most part, you can get away with it on Augusta. In his last two starts in 2026, Åberg finished T3 and T5. This Masters marks another opportunity for Åberg to attain his welcome to the moment win.

Akshay Bhatia 

Bhatia is off to a blazing start to 2026. In his last five PGAT starts he has finished T16 or better, including a win at Arnie’s place. Bhatia’s game fits Augusta perfectly. He is not a dominant off-the-tee player, but he is an exceptional approach player and putter. This is where players win this tournament–115 yards and in. Bhatia has hit 84.2% of greens in regulation from the fairway under 150 yards, and although he has struggled from the rough, this is no concern at Augusta. Bhatia is making his third trip to Augusta this year. In 2024 he finished T35, and last year he finished T42. He is rolling right now, and there is no time like the present to earn your first major victory. 

Xander Schauffele 

As the current world No. 6, Schauffele is undoubtedly in his prime. After winning the PGA Championship and The Open Championship in 2024, he backed it up in 2025 with Top-12 finishes in The Open and U.S. Open, as well as appearing on the USA Ryder Cup team. Schauffele’s time to win the Green Jacket is now. The top is wide open, and of the guys vying to claim their share, he has the most experience in Major conditions, especially at Augusta. In his last seven starts at Augusta, he has finished top 10 five times. In 2025 he finished T8, and in 2024 was solo 8th. Xander’s game lends itself to Augusta, a solid driver of the golf ball, but more importantly, one of the best approach players in the sport. He is the best player in the world in strokes gained via approach at 2.2. A win at Augusta would catapult Schauffele into some serious all-time conversations and would put him a U.S. Open win away from completing the career grand slam.

Masters Tournament Logo via Wikicommons

A Solution to Tanking in the NBA Created in La Salle’s Math Department

Sports

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

The NBA relies on competition, yet its draft system has long rewarded teams for doing poorly. Popularized by Sam Hinkie and the Philadelphia 76ers in the mid-2010s, tanking is a strategy where teams intentionally lose to increase their chances of receiving a higher draft pick. 

The NBA draft lottery is designed to distribute top prospects to the league’s worst teams. Each year, the 14 teams that miss the playoffs are entered into a lottery where those with poorer records are given better odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick. Through this system, losing is rewarded, prompting teams to lose on purpose to ensure they have a good draft pick. 

The problem with most proposals to reform the lottery is they neglect the real change that needs to be made: losing cannot benefit your draft position. Dr. Highley, along with the help of Tannah Duncan, ‘27 and Ilia Volkov, ‘27, set out to change that. Their proposed system, Carry-Over Lottery Allocation (COLA) removes tanking incentives while still favoring weaker teams. This method is specifically aimed at shifting the value focus among teams. This involves balancing championship equity and pick equity. 

What sets COLA apart from other lottery-reform proposals is that it does not rely on a single-season result– rather, it incorporates multi-year performance into draft positioning. COLA has many different variations, or flavors. In its simplest form, the COLA system assigns each team a running total of “lottery tickets” that carries over from year to year. Every season, all non-playoff teams receive the same increase in tickets, regardless of their exact record.

Instead of rewarding the worst team in a single season, COLA gradually rewards teams that miss the playoffs repeatedly. The longer a team goes without postseason success, the more its lottery odds accumulate. Once a team earns a top draft pick, however, its ticket total is reduced, preventing it from repeatedly benefiting from the system.

To evaluate whether COLA would work in practice, Duncan and Volkovran ran long-term simulations modeling team performance, player development and draft outcomes. Using probabilistic methods, they simulated hundreds of seasons to observe how teams performed over time under the system. The results indicated that no team remained consistently dominant or consistently poor. Instead, draft opportunities and team success balanced out over time, suggesting that COLA could maintain competitive parity while eliminating incentives to lose. 

COLA also introduces radical changes to the draft system as a whole, proposing that the lottery line can be moved to incorporate playoff teams in strong draft years and the ability to opt out entirely from the lottery system for a fee of tickets. 

This proposal, however complex it seems, truly addresses tanking in the NBA in a way that other proposals do not. By neglecting losses with regard to draft position, teams are forced to shift their value focus. Theoretically, that focus should shift back to winning and if that’s the case, talent will be properly distributed through the draft.

Cameron Young Breaks Through at TPC Sawgrass to Win 2026 Players Championship

Sports

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

The PGA Tour’s flagship event, yet again, spared no drama come Sunday. In 2024, Scottie Scheffler came back from five down on Sunday to win. In 2025, Rory McIlroy won after being four back heading into Sunday. Now, in 2026, Cam Young completes a four shot comeback to claim his second win in his past 11 starts, and this is far and away the biggest moment of his career. The weekend was shaping up to be Ludvig Åberg’s break-out win, as he came into Sunday 13-under, a three shot lead over the field. The young Swede faded under pressure and fired a plus-four (40) on the back-nine. The final pairing of Åberg and Michael Thorbjorsen did not bring their best stuff, and the battle for the championship came down to the pairing ahead of them: Matthew Fitzpatrick and Cam Young. 

Åberg’s play late in tournaments is starting to become worrisome. At the 2025 Masters, Åberg had a commanding hold on second and was within striking distance of the lead for all of Sunday. He ended up limping in with a bogey and double on 17 and 18 to finish seventh. Then, at the 2025 Scottish Open, Åberg blew up after holding a 54-hole lead and finished ninth. Now most recently, he gave away a three-stroke lead at Sawgrass. In fairness, a three-stroke lead is not insurmountable, especially for a course like Sawgrass, but it was evident from the jump Åberg did not have it. He avoided disaster on the fifth hole and saved bogey, shooting even par on the front, but it all started to unravel as he made the turn. He found the water on 11 and 12, making bogey and double. At Sawgrass, you are required to hit fairways, and Åberg has such a quick swing that when things start to spiral there is no stopping it. From that point on he faded out of contention and finished a T5. 

Moving to the group ahead, Young and Fitzpatrick brought their best stuff. Fitzpatrick started off three under through four and was striking the ball incredibly well all day. Young was hanging tough all day, going one under on the front, still remaining within reach of Fitzpatrick. They both opened up the back by making two birdies in the first four holes, but Fitz almost gave an inch on bogey 14. He got that stroke right back with a birdie on 15. Heading into the final two holes, Fitzpatrick held a one-stroke lead over Young. 17 at Sawgrass is one of the biggest tests of nerves, especially when holding a tight lead. On the 134-yard par-three island green, Young stuck it 21 inches and sunk a knee-shaking birdie putt to tie as Fitzpatrick would make par. 18 is a 470-yard par-four with water up the entire left side. With the two tied for first, Cam Young hit a 375-yard bomb, the longest drive on that hole in the stat-tracking era. Fitzpatrick, feeling the pressure, hit his ball in the pin straw on the right side of the fairway. He was forced to punch out, and was laying short of the green. Young hit his approach shot to 14 feet just off the green. He missed his birdie putt and left himself 16 inches for par. Fitzpatrick had a makeable nine footer to save par, but missed. Young tapped in his par putt to finish his run down of Fitzpatrick and win the Players.

Cameron Young at the 2025 Ryder Cup via Wikicommons

The PGA Tour’s Sunshine Daydream

Sports

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

As spring starts to round into form, so does the PGA Tour. Each year around late-February and early-March, the Tour departs from California and sets up shop in Florida. This Florida swing of the PGA Tour is extremely important, as it starts to provide viewers  a large enough sample of the players. Storylines and narratives begin to build and we get a more vivid picture and understanding of the players. This swing is also very unique, as Florida’s landscape and terrain play a huge role and make the courses play unlike any other of the stops on tour. This is where we get to see courses that have Bermuda grass, a surplus of water hazards, and unpredictable weather conditions. This swing culminates in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, the unofficial fifth major, and introduces us to the height of the golf season. With leg one of the swing down, here is the breakdown of what’s left to come. 

The Florida swing opened at the PGA National Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens. Over the past weekend we saw Nico Echavarria pick up his sixth win on Tour at the Cognizant Classic. It was a dramatic fourth round that saw Euro Ryder Cup hero, Shane Lowry, throw away yet another tournament win. After an incredible -8 outing on Round 3 Saturday, Lowry was catapulted to the top of the leaderboard for a share of 1st. The Irishman came out swinging on Sunday as he was -6 through the first 13 holes and it looked like it would be a run away win. What has happened many times happened again; however, Lowry shrunk. Lowry came into the late 3 hole stretch of PGA National, the Bear Trap, with the lead and came out in a tie for 2nd. He dumped back-to-back tee shots in the water on 16 and 17, making double-bogey twice, and gave up any chance to win. He saved face with T2 finish.

The Cognizant is known as the appetizer of this swing; not many stars play in it, but the course dominates the viewing experience. The following week, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, is where things get turned up a notch. At Bay Hill Club in Orlando we got our third signature event of the season. Designed by Dick Wilson in 1961, and Palmer’s extensive remodeling in the ‘70s has made Bay Hill one of the most challenging tests on tour. With water and sand practically everywhere, and length being one of the biggest challenges to overcome, Bay Hill offers an exciting test for the stars leading into The Players Championship.

The Players is held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. Arguably one of the toughest Pete Dye designs, Sawgrass offers many risk-reward opportunity shots, as well as tight fairways and heavily defended greens. As it is the first real test of thinking and course management, it punishes indecisive shot selection. There is no favorable play style at Sawgrass, whoever is dialed the most has the best chance. It will be hard for this year’s players’ top lasts. In 2025, we got a playoff finish that saw Rory McIlroy defeat JJ Spaun, after Spaun dumped his tee shot into the water on the famous par-3 17th during the playoff. Both players would go on to win majors that year, with Rory winning the Masters and completing the grand slam, and JJ winning the US Open. The Players give us our first taste of Major action.

Their final stop takes us to Palm Harbor, where the Valspar Championship is held at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort. The Valspar is an underrated watch. The Copperhead is a gorgeous course with each hole having water in play. As a result, cool bunkers and narrow fairway formations insist on good old-school course management. Viktor Hovland won there in 2025 at -11. At the wrap of the Valspar, it means we are three weeks away from the Masters and the peak of the PGA Tour season.

World Baseball Classic 2026 Approaches, Fueling MLB’s International Ambitions

Sports

Dani Colon, Editor 

With the 2026 World Baseball Classic kicking off on March 4th, fans around the world will be watching the top countries battle for the championship. Almost like the World Cup of baseball, the elite players suit up for their home nations – sometimes even facing their own MLB teammates. The 2023 final between Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani drew 6.5 million viewers in the U.S. and over 29 million in Japan for that single game. 

The WBC also strengthens MLB’s footprint in international markets. Countries like Japan, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and South Korea already have passionate baseball cultures. The WBC showcases that passion and draws in record television ratings and social media engagement. For MLB, the increased merchandise sales, higher streaming subscriptions, and huge interest in regular season-games played abroad are all major benefits. When international stars shine in the Classic, their MLB teams often see immediate boosts in global attention, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers with players like Freddie Freeman representing Team Canada and Will Smith for Team USA. 

The WBC also creates unforgettable moments, like Randy Arozarena playing for Team Mexico in the semifinals against Japan and robbing Kazuma Okamoto of a home run, or dramatic pitching performances that made history- such as Shohei Ohtani striking out teammate Mike Trout -and emotional celebrations like team Japan winning and being the 2023 champions. These highlights introduce MLB players to new audiences who may not have seen them before.

Looking ahead to the next WBC, many teams are expected to be completely stacked with talent, although Team Puerto Rico will be missing a few of their top players, including star shortstop Fransisco Lindor. Team USA has a strong possibility of taking home the trophy with star players like Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Paul Skenes and Clayton Kershaw. 

 This tournament gives players a chance to honor their heritage on an international stage. Although winning a World Series is the peak of a club’s success, wearing a national uniform taps into a different kind of pride. Players often speak about the emotional weight of hearing their national anthem before the first pitch or playing in front of fans who see them as national heroes. That experience can deepen their connection to the game and fuel their passion heading into the MLB season.

The WBC also helps players get more attention and recognition from fans around the world. A dominant performance in these games can elevate a player’s profile almost overnight. Stars who already have name recognition can expand their brand internationally, and lesser known players can introduce themselves to a global audience. In the 2023 WBC, many players from the Czech Republic were everyday working people with players being teachers, sales representatives, wood workers and even an electrician. Ondřej Satoria, an electrician who decided to play baseball for fun, struck out the famous power hitter Shohei Ohtani. This shows that anyone can  make an impact in the WBC. 

Love Him or Loathe Him, Patrick Reed is Back

Sports

Nate Tramdaks, Staff Writer

The ever-polarizing figure that is Patrick Reed is back in the spotlight. Reed announced his departure from LIV Golf back in Jan. 2026 after three and a half years with the tour. Simultaneously, he announced his intention to rejoin the PGA Tour. The 2018 Masters Champion was not granted immediate reinstatement through the Returning Player Program because he did not meet the criteria. 

Unlike Brooks Koepka, fellow LIV defector, Reed will be serving a one-year suspension from the PGA Tour for leaving without proper release back in 2022. Patrick Reed will be spending the 2026 season on the DP World Tour (DPWT) with the intention to secure his PGA Tour card for the 2027 season and beyond. So far, Reed has been killing it; so let’s look at what he has done, the future outlook for his year and what a return to the PGAT means for the Tour and Captain America. 

Patrick Reed is exercising his lifetime member status with DPWT, a status he acquired back in 2019 after winning the 2018 Masters. Reed is taking this route to regain PGAT status because the top 10 DPWT players gain exempt status into the PGAT for the following season, and there is a chance Reed may not qualify outright. 

So far through four tournaments, Reed is head and shoulders above the field. He took home a win in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic where he won by four shots. The next week, he finished T2 in the Bahrain Championship, coming up short in a playoff. Then the week after, Reed capped off a dominant run in the Desert by winning the Qatar Masters by two shots. Heading into the South African Open, Reed is first in the DPWT Race to Dubai Ranking, leading by 400,000 points. His performance is starting to get recognized globally as he is currently ranked 18th in the Official World Golf Ranking, a huge jump from 42nd where he finished in 2025.

Despite having a lifetime member status, Reed is still subject to qualification requirements for DPWT “Back Nine” events which he has already locked up a spot for. Along with these tournament lock-ins, Reed will be playing in the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in July. The Scottish Open is a PGAT co-sanctioned event that Reed is using a loophole to play in despite his suspension. 

Reed will be playing in a PGA event before his suspension expiration in August 2026. Along with the DPWT events, Reed will almost certainly be playing in all four majors. He has lifetime exemption into the Masters and finished third in 2025. He can play in the PGA Championship at Aronimink by either invitation, which is how he played in 2025, or finish top three during the DPWT Asian Swing. He should qualify for the U.S. Open being top 60 in OWGR, and the Open being top 25 in Race to Dubai.

Patrick Reed’s full return to the PGAT in 2027 will be one of the most exciting developments for the sport in recent history. Not only will it spark the return of big names from LIV, but it will provide what the sport is currently missing – drama. Reed has been a controversial golf figure for his entire career, starting all the way back when he got kicked out the University of Georgia. Buried in all the extracurriculars, Reed’s talent can get forgotten. Reed has one of the most aesthetically pleasing swings in golf and is lights out under pressure. Reed will provide an energy that has been missing from the PGAT since LIV came about. When he’s on, and when fans get behind him, he is a fun guy to watch and root for. Going back to the 2016 Ryder Cup and his battle with Rory McIlroy during the Sunday singles at Hazeltine, Patrick Reed can once again be an electrifying presence on the biggest stages in golf.

Patrick Reed at the 2018 U.S. Open via Wikicommons