It was originally a tee. Now it’s a tree.
Patrick Reed has had a difficult few days online. After he tossed a tee Rory McIlroy’s direction on the driving range, social media exploded. This was before the DP World Tour stop at 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic. After a mishap on the par-4 17 hole, Reed was once again in the spotlight during Sunday’s third round.
Reed stated that he was 100 percent sure his ball had hit a tree, and that he was stuck. He took a drop and scrambled for Bogey. Then he made birdie at the par-5 18 _ to score a 3-under-69, which was four shots behind McIlroy’s lead.
The drive was captured by a golf coach and shared on Twitter. This raised questions about whether Reed had identified the correct ball. Reed would have had to walk back to play his third shot from the tee if he couldn’t find his ball in the tree or prove that it was still there after taking a stroke and distance penalty.
Patrick Reed places his ball in the left tree, but the TV camera clearly shows it in the right. Am I missing something pic.twitter.com/tOr3yTza14
Michael FarrierTwist (@michaelftwist January 29, 2023
“I would have gone back the the tee if it wasn’t 100 per cent… I was lucky that we were able look through the binoculars. You have to ensure it’s your golf ball. I always mark my balls with an arrow because the Pro VI has the arrow at the end stop so you can see it,” Reed explained Telegraph Sport. You could clearly see the line with the arrow at the end. The rules official was there to confirm and verify that it was mine.
“The only time I was ever in a tree was in Malaysia. There’s actually a picture of (Sergio Garcia), and me underneath (caddie Kessler Karain). Reed said that he is literally looking at my golf ball from the palm tree. You know what? I hit that tee shot and didn’t even notice those palms. It felt good, right on the green. I think I need to be a little more accurate or higher.
Patrick Reed’s caddie climbs up a palm tree in order to retrieve the ball from the 10th green during Day 2 of the 2014 CIMB Classic Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, October 31, 2014. Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia. (Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images).
“During round three, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, two marshals and an on-course referee identified that Patrick Reed’s ball was lodged in a particular tree after he tee shot on 17.” DP World Tour via a statement. The DP World Tour chief referee accompanied the player to the area and asked him his unique ball markings. The chief referee used binoculars to confirm that the ball had those markings. The rule 19.2c provided that the player was penalized for an unplayable drop at the point below the ball. The player was not asked for the name of the tree, but was asked to identify his unique ball markings in order to confirm that it was his ball.
Nearly from the day in 2002, Reed was the centre of attention for a rules issue at Farmers Insurance Open. This incident followed a two stroke penalty at 2019 Hero World Challenge.
