Reed Calls McIlroy ‘Immature Little Child’ Over Tee Incident Reaction
Patrick Reed did not hold back when responding to Rory McIlroy’s comments about their driving range interaction at the Dubai Desert Classic.
On Tuesday, reports circled that Reed, a member of the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf league, attempted to say hello to McIlroy, a staunch supporter of the PGA Tour, and was ignored by the Irishman. Reed reacted by tossing a tee at McIlroy, whose back was turned to Reed.
McIlroy told the media in Dubai that he “didn’t see” the tee and chose to ignore Reed for obvious reasons: He was subpoenaed by the American’s lawyer on Christmas Eve.
In response to McIlroy’s comments, Reed clarified that the subpoena in question was unrelated to Reed’s ongoing cases, and instead involved the lawsuit between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
According to Golf Monthly and Daily Mail, Reed said that the subpoena McIlroy received on Christmas Eve has “nothing to do with [him].”
The former Masters champion also added some additional context regarding Tuesday’s driving range incident, which was captured on video.
“Because of the relationship I’ve had with Rory—let’s be honest, we’ve had some great battles at Augusta and other tournament and our friendship’s been pretty good up until obviously joining LIV. I walked over there and wished Harry [Diamond, McIlroy’s caddie] ‘Happy New Year’ and then Rory because it is the first time I have seen them,” Reed said to Golf Monthly.
“Harry shook my hand and Rory just looked down there and was messing with his Trackman and kind of decided to ignore us. We all know where it came from, being part of LIV. Since my tees are Team Aces LIV tees I flicked him one. It was kind of a funny shot back. Funny how a small little flick has turned into basically me stabbing him and throwing a tee at him,” Reed continued.
According to Reed, the tee he playfully tossed at McIlroy was branded with his LIV Golf team name: 4 Aces GC. While Reed saw the altercation as playful, McIlroy came away with a different impression.
“If roles were reversed and I’d have thrown that tee at him, I’d be expecting a lawsuit,” McIlroy told the media on Wednesday.
To sum up the incident, Reed did not mince words.
“He saw me and he decided not to to react. But it is one of those things. If you’re going to act like an immature little child then you might as well be treated like one,” Reed said.
Reed and McIlroy are able compete alongside each other at Emirates Golf Club this week because LIV Golf and the DP World Tour are awaiting the results of an arbitration case. The waiting period allows LIV Golf members who remain eligible on the DP World Tour to continue registering for events.