Rory McIlroy had a fine finish to his first round at the Dubai Desert Classic this morning as he shot birdie-eagle-birdie in his final three holes following the delay to proceedings on Thursday. The world number one is currently tied for the lead on six-under-par going into the second round.
7th: birdie
8th: eagle
9th: birdieSeven shots. Four under. Just three holes on Friday. #HeroDDC | #RolexSeries https://t.co/f7lPhjowOu pic.twitter.com/q42R8rgTgF
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 27, 2023
American golfer Patrick Reed, who made the headlines for throwing a tee towards McIlroy earlier this week, is level with the Irishman after carding an eagle on his final hole.
During a pre-tournament press conference, McIlroy was asked what happened between the pair. He responded: “I was down by my bag and he came up to me, and I was busy working and sort of doing my practice, 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.”
That was a reference to the legal action Reed is taking on several fronts following his decision to join the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series.
The former Masters champion is one of 13 players involved in an arbitration case with the DP World Tour over sanctions imposed for playing the first LIV event last June and has also launched a defamation lawsuit against several media members and organizations.
The lawyer representing Reed in that case also subpoenaed McIlroy and Tiger Woods in regards to the players-only meeting that was held prior to the BMW Championship in August.
The subpoenas are part of a civil lawsuit filed in June by Larry Klayman which claims that Florida residents who bought tickets to PGA Tour events, or would in the future, were damaged by the PGA Tour allegedly weakening fields by suspending players who joined LIV.
Asked if it was naive of Reed to expect a warm welcome given the circumstances, McIlroy told Sky Sports: “I was subpoenaed by his lawyer on Christmas Eve.
“So of course, trying to have a nice time with my family and someone shows up on your doorstep and delivers that, you’re not going to take that well.
“I’m living in reality, I don’t know where he’s living. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t expect a hello or a handshake.”
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