Patrick Reed's Dubai Desert Classic controversy explained

It seems like controversy just doesn't want to leave Patrick Reed. After the recent 'teegate' with Rory McIlroy, Reed has once again found himself in choppy waters.

Patrick Reed hit his tee shot at the par-four 17th hole only to have it lodged in a tree at the recently concluded Dubai Desert Classic. This led to him and the rules officials trying to identify the ball with binoculars based on the markings Reed uses.

After identifying the ball, Reed took a penalty drop. Without identification, he would have had to return to the tee to play his third shot. However, the problem began when video footage of the entire incident found its way to social media.

Fans claimed that according to the footage, Patrick Reed's ball had landed in a completely different tree to the one he took a drop beside, leading to cheating allegations.

However, Reed said after his round that he was a 100% sure he had seen his own ball with the help of binoculars. According to The Guardian, he said:

"I would have gone back to the tee if I was not 100%."

The DP World Tour, which was organizing the Dubai Desert Classic, gave a statement about the entire incident.

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"To clarify, the player was not asked to specify the tree" - DP World Tour on Patrick Reed's golf ball controversy

Patrick Reed (Image via The Telegraph)

The DP World Tour did not deny that Patrick Reed could have dropped from the wrong tree. However, they assumed responsibility if such a thing had occurred.

The official statement explained the entire process:

"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.

It further stated that the chief referee was satisfied that a ball "with those markings was lodged in the tree."

"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 statement clarified that Reed was not asked to identify the tree but only to identify the markings he uses.

"The player subsequently took an unplayable penalty drop (Rule 19.2c) at the point directly below the ball 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."

Another complication was added by the fact that several golf balls were seen lodged in the branches of the tree that was being inspected.

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy went on to win the Dubai Desert Classic for the third time in his career.