Sign up every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in sports and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we feature Scottie Scheffler’s latest landmark achievement and Patrick Reed’s strange discovery.
Scottie Scheffler started his 2026 season just as you might have imagined: with another win. Scheffler shot a final-round 66 to win the American Express by four and claim his 20th career PGA Tour win. What did you think of Scheffler’s season debut? And if you’re the rest of the tour, what are you thinking?
Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): Forget what I think. But what does the 18-year-old who plays alongside Scheffler think on Sunday! “One of the coolest things I learned today was how underrated Scottie Scheffler’s short game is,” Blades Brown said after his fourth-round 74. “Seeing it in person and just watching the kind of trajectory and spin, and just the control he has with his wedges and short game. It was obviously a lot of fun to play.” I would agree – Scheffler’s 1.18 shot to the green Sunday was the best in the field. His 9 birdies were also impressive. Every time I looked up, Scheffler seemed to be rolling a wedge four feet from the hole. It looked like a golden ring. What do you think of the rest of the tour? Maybe. . . (sigh) here we go again.
James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): I know this deserves a thousand qualifiers because the American Express is historically one of the easiest tournaments compared to the norm, but Scottie won in a way we’ve never seen on Sunday. He not only outclassed his opponents; he gunned them down. He did nine birds, and eight of them were converted from within five feet (!!!). He is the third player ever (behind Tiger and Jack) to have 20 wins and 4 championships before his 30th birthday – and for everyone else in golf, that must be … scary.
Josh Sens, senior writer, (@joshsens). To me, this seemed like more of the same. A golfer with no physical weaknesses whose mental game is just as good. In this, a relatively low-powered event, Scheffler proved again that unlike some of the other big guns in the game, he never takes a week off.
Scheffler won six times last year and seven the year before. If you’re Vegas and placing an over/under line for Scheffler’s wins in 2026, what are you placing?
Bastable: It feels like cheating since we already have one. Can he win another five? of course! Another six? Maybe. Another seven would bring us into Tiger territory (TW won eight times in 1999 and 2006). And another eight would bring us into the territory of Vijay Singh (2004) and again Tiger (2000). It feels like a big question. We are setting the o/u to 6. What do you say, colleagues?!
Colgan: Agreed, Basty. Six is the only rational number. But great athletes teach us to believe in irrational. I don’t think eight is out of the question.
Meaning: If the line is six, I’m at the end. One below already, with – if his past program is repeated – over 15 to 20 starts to remain? I will collect my money by the end of August.
Except Scheffler took control of the tournament, it was 18-year-old Blades Brown who caused a stir at the beginning of the week. He received a sponsor’s exemption and made his 10th career PGA Tour start, shot a 60 on Friday and was one out of the lead after 54 holes before shooting a 74 on Sunday and falling out of the top 10. Was that a remarkable finish? Or is Blades a name golf fans should expect to see more of?
Bastable: The most extraordinary? Hard! He had already made three PGA Tour cuts this week, at an age when most of his peers are less concerned with watching Scottie Scheffler on a Sunday afternoon than preparing for their next pre-calculus exam or a matriculation date. Blades looks like he’s in full sponge mode. On Sunday evening, he said he could “write a book about what I’ve learned these last two days”. In pro golf, 18 is the new 28. There’s little reason to think we won’t see the Blades play more meaningful weekend golf on the PGA Tour this year.
Colgan: The finish was not remarkable. Blades is a name fans should remember. BUT – and there is a “but” – Sunday was a lesson in just how much separates him from sustained PGA Tour success. It’s incredible to me that, at 18 years old, his ceiling is already up there with the best in the sport. But careers are built on raising your floor.
Meaning: Blades is no accident. Such a name is fate. I guess I shouldn’t have named my son “Shanks”. The poor kid never stood a chance.
Patrick Reed, days before winning the Dubai Desert Classic, told The Telegraph he would consider rejoining the PGA Tour if allowed. Then, on Sunday morning, he revealed that he has yet to re-sign with LIV Golf – whose season starts in less than two weeks. The Tour’s Returning Member Program specifically created paths for major winners of the past four years, which Reed is not a part of. Why wouldn’t the Tour be interested in Reed reuniting?
Bastable: Who says they are not?! I think Brian Rolapp and Co. are interested in welcoming any player who makes the PGA Tour fields stronger and the LIV fields weaker. Yes, the current RMP framework precludes a Reed return, but rules, as the PGA Tour recently proved, are made to be broken — or, at the very least, changed. Who knows where we will be in a year? When asked Sunday if he has been talking to the PGA Tour, Reed said, “Not at this point,” suggesting that talks have taken place. I miss P-Reed. No matter how you feel about the guy, he makes tournaments more interesting.
Colgan: That whole P-Reed back and forth was so weird. If we’ve learned one thing from the Brooks and Bryson situations, it’s that LIV contracts are like any other negotiation – it’s all about leverage! Why is Reed giving away his leverage by keeping his free agency a secret? I have no idea. But if his chances of a PGA Tour return are hindered, I’ll bet it’s because he’s been operating under the cover of darkness.
Meaning: Golf’s civil war is also a zero-sum game. I’m sure the Tour would be interested in bringing Reed back for that reason. A win for Ponte Vedra equals a loss for LIV, and vice versa. My guess is that we won’t see that this year. He is already out of the Masters, his world ranking is already in the top 50 and he has just improved his market value in every negotiation with LIV. That’s another way of saying he’ll likely have his cake and eat it too, resigning for the big bucks without necessarily losing his degree.
Speaking of the returning members program, next up on the tour is the Farmers Insurance Open where Brooks Koepka will his long-awaited return on the PGA Tour. What are you most looking forward to hearing from Koepka and how do you expect him to play in his first start?
Bastable: I’m not sure we’ll get much from him – in the press tent anyway. I would expect Koepka to be focused and tight in San Diego. And who knows what we will see on the course? The dirty little secret about Brooks is. . . he has not played well. He had just two top-10s at LIV in 2025, and both came in his first four starts. In his last four starts he finished no better than T29. Maybe he was unmotivated. Perhaps he was distracted by personal matters. Maybe he was dreaming of his return to the PGA Tour. Hard to know with Brooks. What we do know is that he has a lot to prove. Would it surprise me if he claims? I won’t.
Colgan: I’ve heard several of Brooks’ counterparts at LIV mention that Koepka’s personal situation was a key component of his decision to return. I don’t expect him to tell us, but it would be nice to hear his reasoning on the record for returning to the Tour.
Meaning: I’m trying to remember the last time I heard something really revealing at a press conference. I don’t expect that to change when Koepka takes the podium. But I expect him to play well, recent form be damned. If ever there was a guy who can turn it off and then turn it back on when it matters to him, it’s Koepka.
;)
