DP World Tour Referee Statement Issued After Patrick Reed Tree Ruling

Following a controversial moment that saw Patrick Reed take a penalty drop from the wrong tree (opens in new tab) during the third round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, tournament officials have released a statement explaining the situation.

In the release, it is stated that: "During round three of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic (opens in new tab), two on course referees and several marshals identified that Patrick Reed's ball had become lodged in a specific tree following his tee shot on 17. The DP World Tour chief referee joined the player in the area and asked him to identify his distinctive ball markings. 

"Using binoculars, the chief referee was satisfied that a ball with those markings was lodged in the tree. The player subsequently took an unplayable penalty drop (Rule 19.2c) (opens in new tab)at the point directly below on the ground. To clarify, the player was not asked to specify the tree but to identify his distinctive ball markings to confirm it was his ball."

For context, Reed was playing the driveable 17th hole at Emirates GC when, after striking his tee shot, the ball sailed towards the green. However, as it started to fall, it made impact with one of the palm trees that run alongside the hole, with the ball appearing to not drop down.

As the camera panned back to the action, Reed was seen talking to a rules official, as they both used a set of binoculars to identify the golf ball that had been lodged in the stump. However, after the American identified it and took the drop, it was soon revealed by Sky Sports that the tree he dropped from was not the tree the ball had made impact with.

Instead, the tree that Reed hit was slightly to the right of the one he took the drop from. It is worth noting that the tee shot on the 17th is completely unsighted, so it is highly likely that the 32-year-old would have been told which tree he struck with his drive.

Making a birdie at the last, Reed sits in a big logjam at 11-under-par, with the American trailing Rory McIlroy by four shots going into the final round. The two have already clashed this week, with the duo involved in a slightly tense exchange (opens in new tab), which resulted in Reed reportedly tossing a tee in McIlroy's direction.