Patrick Reed

Reed will qualify for the Masters as the 2018 champion.

Reed has been one of the most consistent golfers on the PGA Tour the last decade. Reed has at least one win eight of the past nine years on the PGA Tour and only once in that span has he finished the season with less than $3 million. Unless he suffers some lingering effects of his COVID battle late last season, there's no reason to think this upcoming year will be any different than the previous nine. Reed is likely to post slightly better numbers this season, but they won't be good enough for salary cap purposes.

Reed has been one of the most consistent golfers on the PGA Tour since joining in 2013. Since his sophomore season, Reed has posted earnings of at least $3 million every season and he's posted victories in seven of his eight full seasons on the PGA Tour. Reed is only 30, which means he's still in his prime. His upside is still not quite clear though and he did post a pretty big number this past season, one which makes it tough to take him in a salary cap situation.

Heading into the FedEx playoffs this past season, Reed was on the brink of a relatively poor season. A win at the Northern Trust saved Reed from that fate and a top-20 the following week, paired with a top-10 at the TOUR Championship capped off what was solid run to end the season. Reed has shown a pattern of playing better during Ryder Cup years over the past six seasons, so it would make sense that he improves upon his number from this past season this year.

Reed was on top of the world at the end of the 2016 season. He had just come off a season where he posted earnings of over $5.6 million and he was leading Team U.S.A. to a victory at the Ryder Cup. The sky was the limit for Reed. When the following season started though, Reed didn't have that edge any longer. Well, maybe he had the edge, but he didn't have the same game that helped him defeat Rory McIlroy at the 2016 Ryder Cup. The 2016-2017 season wasn't terrible, but it sure was a letdown. After a slow start to last season, people were beginning to doubt Reed and then he decided to win the Masters. That win was certainly out of the blue, but it reminded everyone that Reed is one of the best fiver golfers in the world when he's on. Reed should be able to maintain some of this momentum next season, but he set the bar pretty high last year. As such, he's not a great salary cap option this season.

2016 was a great year for Reed as he earned more than $5.6 million and gained a plethora of new fans with his play at the Ryder Cup. He had all the momentum in the world entering the season and then…nothing. Well, not nothing, but he was certainly expected to do better than $3 million in earnings and only one top-3 finish. That said, there's a lot of value with Reed this season as he's recently surpassed his number with ease and he clearly has the game to win multiple times this season. He's not a must have, but he's somebody that definitely deserves a lot of consideration this season.

Remember when Reed proclaimed he was a top-5 player in the world? Well he finished fifth on the money list last year, so he's certainly moving in the right direction. Reed is unquestionably a solid golfer, but his upside is still in question. A $5+ million year is nothing to shake a stick at, but does he have the potential to reach say, $8 million? He might, but quite simply, his number is too much of a risk in salary cap formats for the upcoming season. Reed should be a first-round pick in draft leagues, but he's not the most popular guy, so he might go late in the first round.

One of the best five players in the world, Reed struggled mightily after his early-season win at the WGC Cadillac Championship and his now infamous boast about being a top-5 player in the world. At the time, he looked the part having won twice in the span of a few months, but to reveal his thoughts at the time was a mistake. Eventually people will forget about his claims and perhaps Reed can just get back to playing golf. The question though is, after his free fall in the second-half of the season, who is Patrick Reed? There seem to be too many questions to justify a selection at his 2014 price. In draft leagues he should go in the third round.

Reed saved his best play for late in the season last year, which can be looked at in one of two ways. Some would question a player who didn't do much outside his win in August, but considering he picked up that win in August and not late in the fall, I think that bolsters the argument for Reed. Reed made 11 of his final 13 cuts and he's still very young at just 23. He might take a few years to fully adjust or he might take this solid season and build on it. Whatever the case, he's got some upside, which makes him an interesting pick in salary cap leagues.

Reed made a name for himself on the PGA TOUR in 2012 by getting through six Monday Qualifiers, an insanely difficult task, and earning the nickname Mr. Monday. In 2013 he’ll be spending his Mondays traveling to and from PGA TOUR events after also making it right on the number. Reed’s best finish in 2012 was a T11 at the Frys.com Open. Don’t be surprised if the long hitter (almost 303 yards per drive) wins on the PGA TOUR this year – as he’s already mastered how to go low when he has to. Now he has four rounds to make it happen.