It’s the little thing everyone is talking about after the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week. Rory McIlroy, the loyal PGA Tour world number 1, ignored Patrick Reed, the Masters winner converted to LIV Golf, who tried to politely greet him and finally teeed him off before slipping away.
Last week at Abu Dhabi, Patrick Reed greeted the caddy of Rory McIlroy, Harry Diamondbut it went less well with the Northern Irishman, according to the Spanish internet portal TenGolf.com !
???? In Dubai we don’t talk about anything else…https://t.co/kiDIBI7cm5
— Ten-Golf (@Tengolf) January 24, 2023
Several players from the dissident circuit of Greg Norman financed by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund are still allowed to play tournaments DP World Tour, until a court decision expected next month, in a British court. When Reed approached McIlroy, he was crouched down and didn’t even turn his head towards the American who was trying to greet him. After a long moment of loneliness, Reed left, throwing a tee in the direction of Rory.
Reed 0 – Golf Channel 1
It’s a new installment in the soap opera of increasingly complicated relationships between DP World Tour players and those who have defected to the dissident circuit, starting with Sergio Garciaprevented from participating in the Scottish Open and fined by the DP World Tour for his betrayal. As for Reed, he was dismissed last Friday by a federal judge in Florida of his complaint for defamation against Brandel Chamblee et Golf Channel.
One word from the World No.1 ☝️ @McIlroyRory said “PROGRESSIVE” when asked to describe Dubai in a single word.
The two-time #HeroDDC winner will be back at @EmiratesGC for the 34th #DesertClassic on 26th – 29th Jan! #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/ctMrTbYrdx
— Hero Dubai Desert Classic (@DubaiDCGolf) January 9, 2023
McIlroy has never hidden the very strong feelings that the LIFE Golf inspires him, as well as the players who gave in to the Saudi sirens: ” I hate the consequences of all this on golf. It will be hard for me to see 18 of them at WentworthI’m going to have a hard time “, he said before the BMW PGA Championshiplast fall.
At Wentworth (BMW PGA Championship), it was the victory of the good guys
Shane Lowry
Shane Lowrywho won at Wentworth, went on to describe his win as ” the good guys “. Before the tournament, he explained that he would say hello to his former teammates from Ryder Cupthat he was going to shake “a few hands, but not all”, and that he would not go to dinner with his old friends, because of the conflict situation created by the Saudi League.
Garcia, Schwartzel and Grace drop the case…
The DP World Tour revealed in Dubai on Monday that three of the original complainants, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel et Brand Grace, for the trial which will take place at the beginning of February in Great Britain, dropped their charges. What lead some to think that Luke Donald could well choose some LIV Golf players for the Ryder Cup, under certain conditions, if the situation calms down. Wait and see, as the English say…
Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP
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