Patrick Reed

Rory McIlroy fired a final-round 68 to hold off Patrick Reed and take the title at the Dubai Desert Classic.

I feel like I showed a lot of mental strength out there today, and again, something to really build on for the rest of the year.” “This is probably sweeter than it should be or needs to be but I feel like I’ve still got some stuff to work on,” he said. “Forget who was up there on the leaderboard, and I did that really, really well. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t expect a hello or a handshake.” Reed eventually identified his ball from the ground to avoid a stroke-and-distance penalty, although pundits were none too pleased. “It means a lot,” McIlroy said.

Was Patrick Reed WRONG about where his ball landed in the Dubai trees? New footage PROVES it wasn't where he claimed he saw it - through binoculars - before ...

Reed's version was supported by tournament officials. Was Patrick Reed WRONG about where his ball landed in the Dubai trees? Footage from NBC though appears to show he couldn't see the ball in the tree as it didn't go in it - though the American got a penalty drop adjacent to the tree instead of returning to the tee Reed told organisers on Sunday that he could see his ball in the palm tree 30ft in the air as it has his arrowhead marking on it. Reed (behind the tree) used binoculars to claim that he could spot his ball in a palm tree New footage from NBC Golf though appears to have proved that he couldn't see the ball in the tree, as it actually appeared to hit a different one to the one he claimed it was stuck in.

With a birdie-birdie finish, Rory McIlroy ended a trying week at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic by beating the rival who helped made it so.

“The good thing is I know who I am,” he said. He looked and he identified [the ball] exactly the same way I did.” But at the end of the day, I want to win for me. After identifying his ball “100 percent” through its markings and receiving the approval of the tournament referee, he was allowed to drop beneath said tree and proceed. “If it had been anyone else in the field it would have been a nonissue but because of certain things in the past, people bring stuff up. The only real bad shot I hit was the tee shot on 16. I want to win for my legacy and leaving my mark on the game. [plugged high in a tree to the right of the fairway](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/patrick-reed-rules-question-ball-stuck-in-tree-dubai-desert-classic). “I went out there and I put the pressure on him. I thought I had blown my chance with the bogey on 15. “I had to work really hard to forget about who was up there and try to focus on myself,” said McIlroy, who was also trying to win his first calendar year event for the first time in his career. The lie was deemed too risky to make the carry over the pond fronting the green,

Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee broke down Patrick Reed's latest rules controversy in a frame-by-frame video replay.

For it to be in that third one, it would have to be much, much higher up over there and it would have to be much further over to the left to get into that third tree.” Had Reed and the official determined his ball was in the first palm tree, he would have had to play from farther back, as well as have a more difficult angle. Using binoculars, the chief referee was satisfied that a ball with those markings was lodged in the tree.” “Since it was then be going somewhere in the vicinity of the tee, it would then have to reverse directions, change speed, then start going towards the green again. The Rules official luckily was there to reconfirm and check to make sure it was mine as well.” The one he said it was in was the third one, the one farthest to the left,” Chamblee said. Chamblee then proposed hypotheticals to explain how Reed’s ball could have still ended up in the third tree. From there, he made a bogey 5 and finished the third round at 11 under, four shots back of Rory McIlroy. Reed, who used binoculars to aid in his search, said he was “100 percent” confident that he had identified his ball, and the official agreed with Reed’s assessment. The clip then cuts to a close-up shot showing several balls lodged in the second tree. “You see in these palm fronds, there are scores of golf balls in there,” Chamblee said. The ball disappears with no bounce, and it’s hard to tell where it ended up.

Patrick Reed alleged that he was able to spot his ball in a tree, even though his tee shot did not seem to travel that far. Reed ended up losing the Dubai ...

[tournament officials said](https://twitter.com/TOURMISS/status/1619707102687121411?s=20&t=HEir0nD9p9kJSHJQTsdYOw) that two on-course referees, “several marshals” and the DP World Tour Chief Referee assisted with the process. But [according to a breakdown from NBC Golf](https://twitter.com/chambleebrandel/status/1619892494405357568?s=20&t=6H6kHcWaMgU35obn-aFm6Q), Reed and on-course officials incorrectly identified the tree where his ball was stuck. Reed, who recorded a bogey on the hole, finished with a 3-under 69 that day, but he shot a 7-under 65 in the final round to put himself at the top of the leaderboard. “So it’s likely gonna bounce back to the tee or over to the fairway or over into the sand, if it bounces. Reed noted on the course that his ball was lost in the third tree, but his ball seemingly never went that far. The problem, though, emerged when Chamblee used a slow-motion replay of the shot.

Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee broke down slow-motion video of Patrick Reed's Saturday tee shot that became lodged in a palm tree, and the images ...