Patrick Reed '100%' Confident Of Ruling Amid Tree Controversy
During the third round, Reed found his golf ball wedged in the trunk of a palm tree, but it appeared that he found it in the wrong tree


Prior to the start of the Dubai Desert Classic, Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy were involved in a slightly tense exchange, which resulted in Reed reportedly tossing a tee in McIlroy's direction.
Despite the drama, both find themselves near the top of the leaderboard, or in Rory's case, at the top of the leaderboard. However, it was Reed who was involved in a bizarre and controversial incident at the driveable par 4 17th, when his ball found one of the many palm trees surrounding the green.
Reed sits in a tie for fourth and four shots back of leader, McIlroy
Going for the green, the American's drive flew towards the target before seemingly making impact with a trio of palm trees. Arriving at the scene, Reed was then reportedly told by marshals which tree it had gone into, with the LIV golfer forced to use a pair of binoculars to find and identify his golf ball.
Unsighted from off the tee, Reed wouldn't have known which tree the ball struck and, after a conversation with the Rules Official on site, Reed stated that he could "definitely see the markings on my ball”, with the American taking a penalty drop and carding a bogey.
However, on Sky Sports after the third round's play had ended, it appeared that, on the video, his tee shot actually found the first tree and not the one that was further up. Therefore, it was unlikely to be the tee shot that Reed confirmed was in the tree.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Nick Dougherty and Laura Davies spoke about the incident, with Dougherty stating: "What Patrick said himself is that he couldn't actually see those trees and you can't from that tee box, but when you look at this footage there is a slight concern that the tree that the ball entered was not the one from where he took the drop."
Patrick Reed identifies his ball in left of the 3 trees yet the tv camera clearly shows it going in the right hand tree?? Am I missing something pic.twitter.com/tOr3yTza14January 29, 2023
Adding on to Dougherty's comments, Davies stated "it looked to be a perfect drive and an inch either side he is probably on the front of the green, but we said at the time we don't know where that has gone and the reason being it went into that first tree and that's the key."
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Following the footage, which shows Reed identifying and taking a drop, Davies explains that: "There's a lot of golf balls in that tree and a lot of people use the same brand that Patrick uses and you couldn't 100% tell whether he said a number, but he has found his manufacturer's ball... Patrick Reed has been very unlucky here. He's found a ball that he plays, the number he plays with obviously a similar black line, as it appears with the evidence first thing.
"He's been incredibly unfortunate and he's been told the wrong tree to look in, for a kickoff. Kevin (Rules Official) has done everything right and Patrick has done everything he can do in that he's identified what he thought was his ball, but it looks like it wasn't his ball with the video evidence."
What was Reed's reaction to all of this? Well, after his round when asked if he thought it was his ball, he responded by saying “100 percent,” before adding “I would have gone back to the tee if I wasn’t 100 percent… I got lucky that we were able to look through the binoculars and you have to make sure it’s your ball and how I mark my golf balls is I always put an arrow on the end of my line because, on the Pro V1 the arrow on the end stops before it, so you can see the arrow.
“And you could definitely see and identify the line with the arrow on the end, and the rules official, luckily, was there to reconfirm and check it to make sure it was mine as well.”
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
-
Carlos Ortiz 'Overjoyed' To Earn Open Championship Spot After Pulling Away From LIV Rivals During International Series Macau Victory
The Mexican finished with a blistering six-under 64 to earn his second Asian Tour prize and clinch a spot at the 153rd Open Championship
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
'So Many People Have Supported Me And Believed In Me When I Stopped Doing It Myself' - Richard Mansell Shares Immense Gratitude After Last-Gasp Birdie Helps Englishman Clinch Maiden DP World Tour Title
Mansell birdied his final hole of the week at Laguna National Golf Resort Club to help him land the rain-affected Porsche Singapore Classic by a single stroke
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Rory McIlroy’s Caddie Harry Diamond May Have Earned Almost $900,000 In Bonus Money Already This Year (More Than The PGA Tour Average) After World No.2's Strong Start
McIlroy has picked up two wins so far in 2025 and could well have shared a decent portion of his winnings with long-time assistant, Diamond
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
'I Can't See Why Anybody Wouldn't Want To Do This' - Padraig Harrington Outlines Reasons Rory McIlroy Will 'Likely' Change His Damning Verdict On Playing Senior Golf
After Rory McIlroy recently said he would never play senior tour golf, Padraig Harrington explained why he thinks the World No.2 could well change his mind
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Impressive Players Championship TV Ratings Show Rory McIlroy Is Golf's Needle Mover
McIlroy's victory at The Players Championship drew an increase in viewership over 2024, with his recent victories on the PGA Tour showing that he could well be the new needle mover
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Rory McIlroy Adds New Event To Pre-Masters Schedule
McIlroy will make his debut in the Houston Open next week, the World No.2 has confirmed
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Rory McIlroy Reunited With Old Clubs After Near $1000 Uber Ride
The four-time Major winner switched back to his old clubs at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with the Uber trip to get them costing a near $1000
By Matt Cradock Published
-
College Golfer Apologizes After Being Removed From TPC Sawgrass For Heckling Rory McIlroy
University of Texas golfer, Luke Potter made a comment to McIlroy during Tuesday's practice round which caused the World No.2 to take his phone
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
'Something Went Terribly Wrong If I Have To Compete At 50' - Rory McIlroy Categorically Rules Out Playing Senior Tour Golf
Asked about his long-term plans, the Northern Irishman insisted he would not be visiting the Champions Tour once he's retired from pro golf
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Rory McIlroy Reveals Multiple Equipment Changes At Arnold Palmer Invitational
The Northern Irishman has made a number of tweaks to his gear setup ahead of this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational
By Jonny Leighfield Published