Tour Confidential: Scheffler enters Tiger territory, Reed’s secret free agency?

Check-in 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 discuss Scottie Scheffler’s latest historic achievement and a strange revelation from Patrick Reed.

Scottie Scheffler started his 2026 season the way you might have imagined: with another win. Scheffler shot a 66th in the final round to win the American Express by four and claim his 20th career PGA Tour victory. What did you think of Scheffler’s season debut? And if you’re the rest of the Tour, guess what?

Alan Bastable, editor-in-chief (@alan_bastable): Forget what I think. How about what the 18-year-old playing next to Scheffler on Sunday thinks! “One of the coolest things I learned today was how underrated Scottie Scheffler’s short game is,” Blades Brown said after his buzz kill in the fourth round of 74. “To see it in person and just look at the trajectory and the spin, and the control he has with his wedges and short game. Obviously his putting is insane too. It was really cool to watch.” I agree: Scheffler’s 1.18 putts per green Sunday were the best in the field. His 9 birdies were also impressive. Every time I looked up, it seemed like Scheffler was turning a wedge back to within three feet of the hole. It looked like a Golden Tee round. What does the rest of the Tour think? Probably. . . [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 relative to par, but Scottie won in a way we’ve never seen on Sunday. He not only outsmarted his opponents; he outsmarted them. He made nine birdies, and eight of them were converted from within five feet (!!!). He is the third player ever (after Tiger and Jack) to reach 20 wins and four majors before his 30th birthday – and for everyone else in golf, that should be… terrifying.

Josh Sens, senior writer, (@joshssens). To me this seemed like more of the same. A golfer with no physical weaknesses whose mental game is just as good. During this relatively low-wattage event, Scheffler once again proved that, unlike some other big players in the game, he never takes a week off.

Scheffler won six times last year and seven times the year before. If you’re Vegas and set the over/under line for Scheffler’s 2026 win, what do you set that at?

Bastardable: It feels like cheating since we already have one. Can he win five more? Naturally! Six more? Maybe. Seven more would put us in Tiger territory (TW won eight times in both 1999 and 2006). And another eight would take us into Vijay Singh (2004) and Tiger Again (2000) territory. It feels like a big ask. We set the o/h to six o’clock. What do you say, colleagues?!

Colgan: Agreed, Basty. Six is ​​the only rational number. But great athletes teach us to believe in the irrational. I don’t think eight is out of the question.

In addition to Scheffler taking control of the tournament, it was 18-year-old Blades Brown who made headlines earlier this week. He was granted a sponsor waiver and made his 10th career PGA Tour start, shooting 60 on Friday and was one of the lead after 54 holes before shooting a 74 on Sunday and falling out of the top 10. Was this finish an outlier? Or is Blades a name that golf fans can expect more from?

Bastardable: Outlier? Hardly! He had already made three cuts on the PGA Tour this week at an age when most of his peers are less concerned about staring down Scottie Scheffler on a Sunday afternoon than preparing for their next pre-calc exam or arranging a prom date. Blades sounds like it’s in full sponge mode. On Sunday evening, he said he could “write a book about what I have learned in the last few days.” In pro golf, 18 is the new 28. There’s little reason to think Blades won’t see more meaningful weekend golf on the PGA Tour this year.

Colgan: The finish was not an outlier. Blades is a name fans should remember. BUT – and there is a “but” – Sunday was a lesson in how much separates him from consistent PGA Tour success. I’m incredibly impressed that at the age of 18 he’s already up there with the best in the sport. But careers are built on raising your level.

Feeling: Blades is no fluke. Such a name is fate. I guess I shouldn’t have named my son “Shanks.” The poor kid never had a chance.

Patrick Reed told The Telegraph days before winning the Dubai Desert Classic that he would consider returning to the PGA Tour if allowed. He then revealed on Sunday morning that he has not yet re-signed with LIV Golf, whose season starts in less than two weeks. The Tour’s Returning Member Program has specifically created pathways for major winners from the past four years, which does not include Reed. Why wouldn’t the Tour be interested in Reed’s return?

Bastardable: Who says it isn’t?! 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 setup of the RMP rules out a Reed return, but rules, as the PGA Tour has proven of late, are made to be broken – or at least changed. Who knows where we will be in a year? When asked Sunday if he has spoken to the PGA Tour, Reed said, “Not right now,” suggesting discussions have taken place. For example, I miss P-Reed. Whatever you think of the man, he makes tournaments more interesting.

Colgan: The whole P-Reed back and forth was SO weird. If there’s one thing we learned from the Brooks and Bryson situations, it’s that LIV contracts are just like any other negotiation: it’s all about leverage! Why does Reed give up his influence by keeping his free will a secret? I have no idea. But if his chances of returning to the PGA Tour are hampered, I’m willing to bet it’s because he’s operating under the cover of darkness.

Feeling: The civil war in the golf world is also a zero-sum game. I’m sure the Tour would be interested in getting Reed back for that reason. A win for Ponte Vedra equals a loss for LIV, and vice versa. I suspect we won’t see that this year. He has already been ruled out of the Masters, his world ranking is now firmly in the top 50 and he has just improved his market value in all negotiations with LIV. That’s another way of saying he can probably have his cake and eat it too, and resign for big money without necessarily missing out on the majors.

Speaking of the Returning Member Program, next up on the Tour is the Farmers Insurance Open, where Brooks Koepka will make his long-awaited return to 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, at least in the press tent. I would expect a focused, tight-lipped Koepka in San Diego. And who knows what we will see on the trail? Brooks’ dirty little secret is. . . he hasn’t 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 has finished no better than T29. Maybe he was unmotivated. Maybe he was distracted by personal problems. Maybe he dreamed 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 I be surprised if he claims? That wouldn’t be the case.

Colgan: I’ve heard some of Brooks’ LIV colleagues say that Koepka’s personal situation was a major part of his decision to return. I don’t expect him to inform us, but it would be nice to hear his on-the-record reasoning for his return to the Tour.

Feeling: I’m trying to remember the last time I heard something truly revealing at a press conference. I don’t expect that to change when Koepka takes the stage. But I expect him to play well, recent form be damned. If there was ever anyone who could turn the device off and on again when it mattered to them, it’s Koepka.