Patrick Reed remains a favourite for controversies
The title sponsorship by Indian brand Hero of one of the European tour’s pre-eminent events, Dubai Desert Classic delivered plenty of drama both on and off the course. It all began with a pre-tournament spat between World No 1 Rory McIlroy, who was playing his first event in 2023, and American “bad boy” Patrick Reed, who has switched to the rival Saudi-backed LIV Tour. The characters were perfectly cast, with McIlroy generally seen as the voice of the establishment i.e. the good guy, while Reed has long been seen as a heel (to borrow a WWE wrestling term).
Reed walked up to McIlroy on the practice range to say hello, but was completely ignored. In retaliation, Reed flicked a LIV Tour tee in McIlroy’s direction. In any other sport, this would barely warrant a mention, but in golf it is the equivalent of a five- alarm fire. When asked about it, McIlroy explained he was served a subpoena by Reed’s lawyer on Christmas eve, so why would he want to acknowledge someone who did that to him.
I’m living in reality, I don’t know where he’s living,” McIlroy said. “If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t expect a hello or a handshake.”
Reed responded by calling McIlroy a “petulant child”.
If you haven’t seen the video of Patrick Reed’s tee shot at 17, here it is -<
If you haven’t seen the video of Patrick Reed’s tee shot at 17, here it is. pic.twitter.com/sgnKcLH4Sf
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) January 30, 2023
The spat raised the stakes for the tournament for both players. More controversy was to come during the third round and Reed was once again in the center of it. He identified his ball in a tree on the 17th hole during Rd 3, but according to NBC Golf, Reed and on-course officials identified the wrong tree.
As the final round teed off, McIlroy appeared to be in control of the tournament. He led by three shots, with Reed a further shot behind but the Golfing Gods obliged by giving us a tense battle between the two on the back nine.
Playing in the group ahead, Reed quickly made up ground, highlighted by an eagle at the 11 th , while McIlroy opened with a string of eight pars, raising the possibility that we might be watching a repeat of last year’s British Open, only worse (for his fans) because the so-called “bad guy” in the story might walk away the winner. The spectre of the lawsuit between LIV and the DP World Tour, due to be heard later this month, hovered over the proceedings as well, adding to the stakes and the tension.
McIlroy was able to raise his game this time and his birdie on the 17 th put him a shot ahead. Reed, however, birdied the 18 th to draw level again to set the stage for a thrilling conclusion. There was a heart stopping moment when McIlroy’s drive on the last heading for the water, but the ball stopped in the rough. Last year McIlroy found water on the same hole in the final round to hand the title to Viktor Hovland. This year Rory played safe, then struck a wedge to 14 feet. You could feel the crowd holding its collective breath as McIlroy putted, before erupting in glee as the ball disappeared into the cup for a one shot victory over Reed.
McIlroy let the world know how it tough it was out there. ““Mentally today was one of the toughest rounds I’ve ever had to play,” he said. “It would be easy to let the emotions get in the way. I had to concentrate on myself, forget who was up there on the leaderboard. I showed a lot of mental strength out there.”
Certainly a dramatic start to Hero’s sponsorship of this revered event in Dubai which has attracted global media attention. Will rivalries between LIV Tour players and others during the remainder of the year attract more such drama ? Time will tell !!
Credits:-
Photo – DPWTR