Patrick Reed is no stranger to navigating uncharted waters, but even he admits the current landscape of professional golf has him feeling "antsy." The 2018 Masters champion, known for his relentless competitive drive, arrived at this week's PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, after an uncharacteristic month-long break from tournament play—his longest layoff before a major since the pandemic-altered 2020 season.

"It's definitely weird," Reed said after opening with a two-under-par 68 on Thursday. "This year is obviously a unique situation. With taking that time off since Augusta, it's been a lot of grinding and preparing. It's one of those times where you finally feel like you can actually properly prepare."

Reed's last competitive outing came at the Masters in April, where he finished tied for 12th. Since then, he's been holed up in a rigorous training regimen that included testing dozens of lob wedges and a three-day scouting mission at Aronimink Golf Club, where he battled howling winds and lost countless balls in the thick rough. That preparation, he believes, has sharpened his game enough to offset any rust from the downtime.

The break wasn't entirely by choice. After leaving LIV Golf in January—a move that stunned many in the golf world—Reed has been competing exclusively on the DP World Tour as he works toward earning his PGA Tour card for the 2027 season. His decision to depart LIV came before the Saudi Public Investment Fund's recent pullout, but Reed insists that uncertainty didn't factor into his exit. "I wasn't thinking about that," he said. "I was focused on what's best for my game and my family."

Reed's DP World Tour campaign has been nothing short of impressive. Wins in Dubai and Qatar have put him on the verge of securing one of the 10 cards awarded to non-exempt members—a virtual lock, by all accounts. His team meticulously mapped out his schedule, realizing that skipping events between the Masters and PGA Championship was the smart play. He'll also sit out the stretch between the PGA and U.S. Open, prioritizing quality preparation over quantity of starts.

During his downtime, Reed scratched his competitive itch with early-morning practice sessions before his kids finished school. "Even though I wasn't playing tournament golf, I was doing a lot of things and studying not only my golf game," he said. It's a strategy that's paid off so far, as he sits comfortably in the mix at a major where he's historically thrived.

For a player who thrives on the adrenaline of tournament golf, this "weird" new reality is still a work in progress. But if his opening round at the PGA is any indication, Patrick Reed is learning to make the most of it—one well-prepared swing at a time.