Tour pro brands Patrick Reed a CHEAT after Dubai drop

DP World Tour pro Mike Lorenzo-Vera has slammed Patrick Reed after the American’s rules controversy at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

The Frenchman, who has been a vocal critic of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League, took to Twitter to question why his fellow pros haven’t spoken out, after Reed took relief from a tree in the third round of the event.

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He goes on to say that the former Masters champion is a ‘fantastic golf player,’ before saying he ‘f***’n cheated,’ asking ‘how is the guy not DQ?’

On the 17th hole of Reed’s third round, his ball became lodged in a tree. The 32-year-old was told by DP World Tour rules officials that his ball had landed in one of several trees in the area, and Reed took relief, before making a bogey on the hole. 

On Tuesday afternoon, Reed released a statement on his Twitter account, where he described the drop as a ‘non-issue.’

The controversy only added to an exciting week, where Reed finished one shot behind Rory McIlroy, after the American shot a final round of 65.

Lorenzo-Vera isn’t the only one to criticise Reed over the drop. 

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Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee took to Twitter, saying that Reed and the officials were looking in the wrong tree for Reed’s ball, and that he should have showed the rules official another ball from his bag to help them identify it.

However, Rory McIlroy did come to Reed’s defence, saying that if any other player had been involved in the incident, it would have been treated as non-issue, and that he didn’t feel Reed was trying to gain an unfair advantage.