Patrick Reed: Tour officials defend Dubai drop… but some players aren’t happy

DP World Tour officials have defended a drop taken by Patrick Reed during Sunday’s third round of the Dubai Desert Classic.

Reed, 32, was forced to call for help after his tee shot on the driveable par-4 17th became lodged in a tree. 

The former Masters champion was able to identify his ball in a pineapple-shaped cluster high in one of the trees to the right of the fairway and, after taking advice from multiple rules officials, was able to take a drop. 

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A clip widely shared on social media appeared to cast some doubt on which of the trees Reed’s ball finished up in. 

Have a look for yourself…

French pro Matthieu Pavon, who missed the cut in Dubai, was one of many who shared the video.

“Wow wrong tree?! Maybe optical illusion,” he wrote, adding a laughing emoji to the end of his tweet.

His compatriot and fellow pro Mike Lorenzo Vera replied in French, saying: “The guy does not stop.” 

“You’d have to be stupid to stop and don’t tell him anything,” added Pavon.

With the clip going viral, the DP World Tour was compelled to explain the incident in a statement that has subsequently appeared on social media.

“During round three of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, two on-course referees and several marshals identified that Patrick Reed’s ball had become lodged in a specific tree following his tee shot on 17,” read the missive.

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“The DP World Tour Chief Referee joined the player in the area and asked him to identify his distinctive markings. Using binoculars, the chief referee was satisfied that a ball with those markings was lodged in the tree.

“The player subsequently took an unplayable penalty drop (Rule 19.2c) at the point directly below the ball on the ground. To clarify, the player was not asked to specify the tree but to identify his distinctive ball markings to confirm it was his ball.”

As reported by The Telegraph’s James Corrigan – on-site in Dubai – Reed insisted that the ball in the tree was “100%” his.

“I would have gone back to the tee if I wasn’t 100 per cent,” he said. “I got lucky that we were able to look through the binoculars and you have to make sure it’s your ball and how I mark my golf balls is I always put an arrow on the end of my line, because the Pro VI the arrow on the end stop before it so you can see the arrow.  

“And you could definitely see and identify the line with the arrow on the end, and the rules official, luckily, was there to reconfirm and check it to make sure it was mine as well.” 

Entering Monday’s weather-delayed final round, Reed is in a tie for fourth, four shots behind 54-hole leader Rory McIlroy.