McIlroy and Reed in conflict? Nothing dramatic, Rory admitted. Dubai promises an interesting spectacle

The golf season is already in full swing, with the eyes of fans on the DP World Tour’s $9 million Dubai Desert Classic these days. What’s more, the high-profile tournament promises an extra plot twist. In fact, in addition to players from the European Tour, golfers from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are also up against each other. And so far, it looks like Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed have taken on the role of imaginary captains.

It is no secret that the situation is particularly tense between the players of the PGA Tour and the “rebels” from LIV Golf. The war between the biggest golfing worlds will probably only be resolved in a few years’ time by lawsuits. In the meantime, it will probably continue to be heated.

While LIV players cannot compete on the US PGA Tour, a temporary halt to the ban by the judicial authorities on the DP World Tour is possible at this time. And so, players like Lee Westwood, Abraham Ancer, Ian Poulter and Patrick Reed are making appearances in the United Arab Emirates.

And it was the latter who was to clash with the DP World Tour’s biggest star Rory McIlroy before the tournament itself began. Patrick Reed came to greet him, but McIlroy reportedly declined his interest. There was only a cursory handshake. Reed then reportedly got angry in response to his ignoring him and threw the tee he had in his pocket in his direction.

The media made a traditional big deal out of it. However, the Irish world number one subsequently admitted in an interview that it was far from dramatic. He reportedly didn’t even notice the thrown tee, merely saying he didn’t want to talk to Reed. However, it is clear that tensions between the players are high.

Reed’s legal team reportedly had a summons delivered to McIlroy’s home on Christmas Day as part of Reed’s broader lawsuit against the PGA Tour: “When you want to spend a nice time with your family at Christmas and someone knocks on your door and delivers this, you don’t take it entirely well. If I was in his shoes, I wouldn’t expect a greeting or a handshake,” the Irish golfer was quoted as saying by the GolfExtra website.

With a smile on his face, Rory likened the situation to a storm in a glass of water. “If I had thrown a club at him, I would have expected a lawsuit.” The tee Reed was supposed to throw at McIlroy’s tee had the 4Aces logo on it, which is the team Patrick Reed played for last season in team competition.

The American player really didn’t like Rory’s refusal: “If you act like a little kid, don’t be surprised if you get treated like one. He saw me and decided not to react. It’s unfortunate because we’ve always had a good relationship,” Reed said about their past. Whatever happened between the two players, it definitely garners attention on the field as well.

Both players started the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in style. After the first day, McIlroy and Reed were tied for first place with a score of -6. However, the original day of the tournament was not played due to inclement weather. In 24 hours, as much water was to fall on the Emirates GC course as usually falls in an average quarter of a year.

The events of the last few days certainly show us that the rivalry between PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf players can spice up the game in an interesting way. Which of these two fighters will stand victorious over their former friend and great rival on Sunday?

Source: DP World Tour