Rory McIlroy says he doesn’t know whether or not Patrick Reed threw a tee at him on the practice range at Emirates Golf Club but he had no problem admitting that he ignored the American who tried his best to greet him in Dubai.
Reports emerged from the UAE on Tuesday that Reed had taken exception to McIlroy’s cold shoulder on the range, flinging a tee at the Northern Irishman who went about his business untroubled.
Given Reed’s continued attempts to sue the PGA Tour, even serving McIlroy with a subpoena as a “co-conspirator” in the case, why he was expecting a warm greeting from the world number one is anyone’s guess. And while McIlroy couldn’t confirm whether or not a tee had hit him in anger, he was more than willing to share his thoughts on his current relationship with Reed ahead of this week’s Dubai Desert Classic.
“I mean, I got a subpoena on Christmas Eve,” McIlroy said, incredulous. “I mean, I don’t see… like, you can’t pretend like nothing’s happening, right?
“I think that’s the thing. We are living in reality here!”
Clearly McIlroy and Reed’s realities are poles apart with McIlroy even joking, I think, that he wouldn’t dare risk throwing a tee at Reed for fear of the consequences.
“I didn’t see it,” McIlroy said of the incident. “I was down by my bag and he came up to me, and I was busy working and sort of doing my practise, and I didn’t really feel like – I didn’t feel the need to acknowledge him.
“So I didn’t see a tee coming my direction at all, but apparently, that’s what happened. And if roles were reversed and I’d have thrown that tee at him, I’d be expecting a lawsuit from him!”
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