Reed in contemporary controversy over ball in palm tree

From ‘teegate’ to ‘treegate’ -– it appears unattainable to maintain Patrick Reed and controversies aside.

The American, who now plies his commerce as a contracted LIV Golf participant, was embroiled in yet one more guidelines controversy throughout Sunday’s third spherical of the $9 million Dubai Desert Basic, when his ball received lodged in one of many palm timber to the suitable of the drivable, par-4 seventeenth inexperienced.

Reed stated he may establish his ball on the tree after trying by way of a pair of binoculars and proceeded to take a drop proper underneath the tree with a one-shot penalty.

He ended up making a bogey in a three-under par spherical of 69 as he ended the day tied in fourth place at 11-under par for the rain-hit match, 4 behind chief Rory McIlroy.

If Reed was unable to find his ball, he couldn’t have declared it unplayable. That may have compelled him to return to the tee and hit what would have been his third shot.

Nonetheless, a social media put up instructed that tv replays confirmed Reed’s ball disappearing into an adjoining tree, though the footage didn’t appear conclusive.

“I received fortunate that we have been in a position to look by way of the binoculars and you need to make sure that it is your ball and the way I mark my golf balls is I at all times put an arrow on the tip of my line,” stated Reed.

“You could possibly positively see and establish the road with the arrow on the tip, and the foundations official was there to reconfirm and test it to verify it was mine as properly.”

The DP World Tour confirmed Reed’s facet of the story and defined the related ruling on  figuring out a ball.

“Throughout spherical three of the Dubai Desert Basic, two on-course referees and a number of other marshals recognized that Patrick Reed’s ball had develop into lodged in a selected tree following his tee shot on 17,” the assertion learn.

“The DP World Tour Chief Referee joined the participant within the space and requested him to establish his distinctive ball markings.

“Utilizing binoculars, the chief referee was happy {that a} ball with these markings was lodged within the tree. The participant subsequently took an unplayable penalty drop on the level immediately beneath the ball on the bottom.”

The tour added: “To make clear, the participant was not requested to specify the tree however to establish his distinctive ball markings to substantiate it was his ball.”

On eve of the match, Reed was stated to have thrown a picket tee in disgust at McIlroy when the Northern Irishman refused to shake palms with him on the driving vary.

Footage from the vary later cleared Reed of any such wrongdoing.

McIlroy admitted he was in no temper to acknowledge his presence, however added that the incident was nothing greater than a “storm in a teacup”.

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