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There has been more controversy surrounding Patrick Reed as new footage appears to show that he was wrong in claiming he could see his ball in a palm tree.
In a bizarre incident on the 17th hole on Sunday, Reed, using binoculars and assisted by the tournament umpire, claimed he could see his ball in the tree.
This allowed Rory McIlroy’s rival to take a penalty shot 300 yards down the fairway, rather than the more expensive option of returning 275 yards to the tee, as would have been the case if he could not make a definitive identification.
However, new footage from NBC Golf appears to have shown that he could not see the ball in the tree, as it actually appeared to hit a different ball than the one he claimed was caught.
Patrick Reed (right) was involved in a controversial rules decision at the Dubai Desert Classic
Reed (behind the tree) used binoculars to claim that he could see his ball in a palm tree.
However, NBC footage appears to show that he could not see the ball in the tree because it did not go into it, although the American was awarded a penalty knockdown next to the tree instead of returning to the tee.
The 2018 Masters champion escaped the hole with a bogey, before finishing 11 under and four behind McIlroy at the end of Sunday.
However, Reed was in impressive form on Monday and managed to level the score with McIlroy.
However, McIlroy defeated his rival when the Dubai Desert Classic concluded this morning, with the Northern Irishman finishing at -19, a shot clear of the American after a birdie on the 18th.
His road to the title might have been less stressful if Reed had been sent back to the tee on Sunday.
Reed told organizers Sunday that he could see his ball in the palm tree 30 feet in the air, as it bears the mark of his arrowhead.
Some social media users pointed to TV footage that led them to believe the ball went into a different tree than the one he claimed his Titleist ProvV1 could see.
NBC golf analyst Brandel Chamblee said while looking at the footage: “You can see that first tree right there, the one he said was the third leftmost one, but it disappears in this first one.”
“It just disappears right there, so to be in that third tree you’d have to be a lot higher up in that one over there and you’d have to be further to the left to get into that third tree.”
“It’s hitting the tee side of that tree, so it’s probably going to bounce off the tee or into the fairway or into the sand, but we didn’t see it bounce.”
Reed (right) pictured with a tournament official who also looked at the tree through binoculars
Video proves Rory McIlroy’s rival should have been sent back to the tee in Dubai
Reed, who has previously drawn attention to rules settings during his career, said: “I was lucky that we were able to look through binoculars and you have to make sure it’s your ball and how I mark my golf balls is always put a arrow at the end of my line.
“You could definitely see and identify the line with the arrow at the end, and the rules officer was there to reconfirm and check it to make sure it was mine as well.”
Reed’s version was supported by tournament officials. A statement from the DP World Tour said: “Two umpires on the course and several stewards identified that Patrick Reed’s ball had lodged in a specific tree after his tee shot at 17.
‘Using binoculars, the chief referee was satisfied that a ball with those markings lodged in the tree.
“To clarify, the player was not asked to specify the tree, but rather to identify the distinctive markings on his ball to confirm that it was his ball.”
Reed’s time in the Middle East thus far has been marred by controversy following a tee-off incident involving him and McIlroy.
The situation follows the saga in which Reed teeed off McIlroy on the driving range on Tuesday after the world number 1 ignored his greeting.
Due to the desert storm brought on by such a chain of events, anticipation had grown that they could eventually even out in Dubai, but McIlroy’s 65 in the third round ended that possibility.
Despite continuing his wayward tee shot (the Northern Irishman missed another eight fairways on Sunday), there was enough quality to his approach game that McIlroy is in a strong position to win his season opener for the first time in his career.
McIlroy clinched the title Monday despite Reed hitting a 7-under round.
His score would have been even more comfortable if he hadn’t thrown his second shot into the water protecting the green at the par-five 18, a mistake identical to the one that cost him a third win at this tournament last year.
However, things turned around on Monday when Reed put in an impressive performance and even took the lead midway through the final session.
The two were neck-and-neck on the final hole, though McIlroy sealed the win with a 14-foot pitch to start his 2023 campaign in style.
Reed hit a 7-under-par round of 65, but McIlroy’s closing 68, and birdie of the final hole, lifted the Northern Irishman to the title.