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A Patrick Reed cheating controversy is brewing.
Video from NBC Golf highlights the possible scandal from the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic.
After hitting his tee shot on the 17th hole, Reed claimed to have identified his ball in a tree which allowed him to drop his ball in the rough. If he couldn’t have identified his ball, Reed would have had to hit the ball from the tee box again.
Golf analyst Brandel Chamblee, however, says it would have been nearly impossible to identify which ball was Reed’s, and on-course officials incorrectly identified which tree his ball was in.
If you haven’t seen the video of Patrick Reed’s tee shot at 17, here it is. pic.twitter.com/sgnKcLH4Sf
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) January 30, 2023
“When we zoom out and you see in these palm fronds, there are scores of golf balls in there,” Chamblee said, “and since most professional golfers predominantly play Titleist Pro V1s, it’s reasonable to assume it’s littered with Pro V1s in there.
“Now remember, it’s hitting tee side of that tree. So it’s likely gonna bounce back to the tee or over to the fairway or over into the sand, if it bounces. But we didn’t see it bounce.”
Reed, however, claims he “got lucky” and identified his ball with binoculars, because it had an arrow marked on it.
Ultimately, the potential cheating did not help Reed earn the win in the tournament.
Reed bogeyed the 17th hole, and finished the tournament at 18-under. Rory McIlroy, who was involved in “Tee Gate” with Reed a few days earlier, edged out Reed by one stroke and finished in first place with a score of 19-under.
