Rory McIlroy beats Patrick Reed in the middle of the great golf war

It was not just any

.

It was not just any victory.

In that last blow there was much more than a tournament.

At stake was also a victory in the war that world golf is experiencing between the sides of the two great circuits, the American and the European, and the groundbreaking Saudi league that has attracted many stars with the charm of petrodollars.

All this was in the hands of Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, world number one and flag of the PGA Tour, when on the par five of the 18th hole of the Hero Dubati Desert Classic, an appointment on the European circuit, he was preparing to kick for

.

If he holed out, he would win the tournament just one stroke ahead of American Patrick Reed, one of the symbols of the Saudi league.

If he missed, both would go to a very tense tiebreaker for their confrontation on and off the golf course.

High voltage.

The ball rolled smoothly, four and a half meters, and fell inside while Reed, who had already finished his round, followed the scene on television.

Victory for McIlroy (-19), American

bingo against LIV Golf.

Another episode in a conflict that continues to heat up, on the

, on the practice field and in the courts.

Never in doubt 🙌@McIlroyRory claims his first Rolex Series victory.#HeroDDC |

#RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/GVylbKzHVD

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 30, 2023

The bomb had exploded on Monday.

During pre-tournament practice, Reed wandered over to the area where McIlroy was working out.

The 33-year-old American, world number 90 (LIV players do not score points for the ranking), shook hands with

his rival's

, Harry Diamond, and extended his arm in the direction of the Northern Irishman, who was in squatting.

McIlroy, 32, number one in the world, did not return the greeting.

He didn't even turn.

Offended, Reed turned around, reached into his right pocket, and

off .

The scene was recorded on video by journalists from the Tengolf website.

, the case has been called.

The episode reflected the tension that exists today between the two parties into which golf has been divided and that coexist in tournaments on the European circuit, DP World Tour, since LIV representatives are not yet prohibited from participating in these events, as They do have the doors of the American circuit closed.

“Patrick came over to say hello and I really didn't want him to, I didn't want to say hello.

As far as I remember, that was it.

I had my back.

I didn't see any

I didn't even feel it.

If it had been the other way around, now I would be waiting for a lawsuit from him, ”McIlroy explained about the incident.

And he added context about his relationship with Reed: “I received a subpoena from his lawyer on Christmas Eve.

It's a day where I was trying to have a good time with my family and someone shows up at your door and hands that over to you.

You don't take it well.

I live in reality, I don't know where he lives.

If he were in his place, he would not expect a greeting or a handshake.

Reed, in fact, has filed a lawsuit against Rory McIlroy, and also against Tiger Woods, in the context of the LIV players' legal battle against the PGA Tour, which they accuse of violating antitrust laws after expelling them from their competitions for his march to the Saudi league.

The American, who plays in a cap with the letters LIV Golf, admitted after he shot that

“It was Team Aces LIV (his team of him on the new circuit).

It is unfortunate, because we have always had a good relationship.

But if you're going to act like a small, immature child, you better be treated like one."

The disagreement between the two moved to the field in an exciting face-to-face that was not resolved until the

McIlroy ending.

“It was the battle of the day, it was the battle of the week, one of the toughest I've had in my life.

It meant a lot to me because of everything that has happened in the last year.

I had to focus a lot on myself and the game.

It was easy to get carried away by emotions and I showed a lot of mental strength”, commented the winner after that decisive hole.

A triumphant start to the season for McIlroy, winner of four majors and among the top 10 ranked at the Grand Slam last year (second at the Masters, eighth at the PGA, fifth at the US Open and third at the British Open).

The world number one has become, along with Jon Rahm, the great emblem of the American circuit against his Saudi enemy.

When they asked him these days if he saw it as possible to fix his relationship with Sergio García, other LIV golfers,

Reed, with the LIV Golf cap. ALI HAIDER (EFE)

The Saudi league begins on February 24 in Mayakoba (Mexico) within a calendar that will take Valderrama from June 30 to July 2.

Later, in September, the Ryder Cup will take place, an appointment in which McIlroy and Reed have been two banners of Europe and the United States.

Until then, on and off the golf course, the clash between two worlds intensifies.

Final classification of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

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