Golf: Patrick Reed allegedly throws golf tee at rival Rory McIlroy in disgust

According to media reports, McIlroy was practicing ahead of the DP World Tour event and was at the time on his hunkers at the time, looking at the ground. Reed stood near the world No.1 intending to say hello but the Northern Irish player ‘did not even turn his head towards him’.

Reports also claimed that Reed then tried to salute McIlroy but again got no response from the PGA Tour star. Giving up on his attempt to be pleasant the American reportedly walked away in disgust and then took a tee out of his pocket throwing it in McIlroy’s direction.

Last year the two golf stars bolted for controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf. McIlroy, the world No. 1 and a four-time major champ, has been a vocal critic of the breakaway circuit since it launched last year, with the Northern Irishman and LIV CEO Greg Norman trading verbal blows on multiple occasions last year.

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Reed, who won the 2018 Masters, was suspended by the PGA Tour after going to LIV, but continues to play in DP World Tour events until an arbitration case next month determines whether the European-based tour can likewise ban players who play on LIV from its tournaments.

The 32-year-old has also found himself embroiled in another controversy, having filed a defamation lawsuit against Golf Channel and analyst Brandel Chamblee, though that case was dismissed on Friday by a federal judge in Florida.

This week’s tournament is the first of the year for McIlroy, who is coming off three wins in 2022 and won both the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai and PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup.