During a press conference at Augusta, Reed said of Tiger Woods‘s and Phil Mickelson‘s absence from the Champions Dinner, “Let’s be honest, without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the events, in golf, when they both step away, honestly I feel it hurts the game of golf, but at the same time, we want them to come back and be healthy and ready to go.”
The Champions Dinner will be held on Tuesday, with the champions served McIlroy’s menu. However, Mickelson and Woods are cornerstones of the historic Masters tradition, which dates to the early 1950s, and their absence will be felt. Woods is a five-time Masters winner, while Mickelson has won it three times.
They’ve attended the Champions Dinner since 1997 and 2004, respectively, yet this year marks the first time both will miss Augusta together since 1994. Considering the attention and the flair they bring to golf, Reed’s and McIlroy’s assessments are not wrong. But there’s a reason behind their respective absences, something that Reed acknowledged.
Bubba Watson talked for more than a minute about Tiger Woods:
“I’m pulling for him as a human being, forget his golf, I could care less about his golf.
“Anybody that’s struggling with anything, I feel for him because I’ve went through a lot of mental stuff. So yeah, I always… pic.twitter.com/n8PnUOSqSf
— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) April 6, 2026
Woods was arrested in Florida after a two-car rollover crash, and deputies discovered two hydrocodone pills in his pocket. Later, the champ indefinitely stepped away from golf and is reportedly seeking addiction treatment in Switzerland for painkillers. And a “personal health matter” in his family caused Mickelson to withdraw from the Masters last week.
McIlroy’s and Reed’s rivalry ignited at the 2016 Ryder Cup, where the American won in one of the event’s all-time great singles matches. He topped the Northern Irishman once more in 2018 by denying him the Masters win. In retaliation, McIlroy one-upped Reed at the
Reed is taking steps to improve this history, for instance. Regarding the aforementioned incident in 2023, Reed joked he is willing to offer McIlroy a few tee gates to throw back at him to break the ice. Meanwhile, McIlroy has commented on Reed’s desire to return to the PGA Tour, including saying that “it’s a great thing for the Tour.” In that same vein, Reed again expressed his intentions to return.
Patrick Reed on why he wants to return to the PGA Tour
“When you look at it, the best players in the world and the deepest fields from top to bottom are on the PGA Tour. I’ve played, now, every tour. I’ve played on every single one of them,” Patrick Reed stated on Monday at Augusta National.
According to the American pro, it all started on a practice range during a DP World Tour event, when he realized he wanted to compete not just against himself but others, too. Mostly, he wanted to play traditional golf, which, admittedly, no one does better than the PGA Tour. “For me, I wanted that back, I wanted that adrenaline back, and those feelings,” he added.
A day later, he won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and is very likely to return to the Tour post-fall.
Reed’s surprising departure from LIV Golf two months ago came with a clear aim: returning to the PGA Tour. However, with that path blocked until the fall slate, he has been forced to grind on the DP World Tour to stay competitive, making stops in Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, and even two trips to South Africa.
