Patrick Reed Claims 'Small Victory' After Rory McIlroy Talks In His Direction At Hotel

Patrick Reed ran into Rory McIlroy at the hotel the two are staying at for this week's Dubai Desert Classic and is making it sound as if their beef has been squashed.

Earlier in the week it was reported that Reed threw a tee at McIlroy after the World No. 1 ignored him on the driving range. Video of the incident went viral, showing Reed playfully tossing a tee in McIlroy's direction.

McIlroy was asked about the situation and confirmed he did purposefully ignore Reed on the practice tee.

“I was down by my bag and he came up to me, and I was busy working and sort of doing my practice, and I didn’t really feel like… I didn’t feel the need to acknowledge him,” said McIlroy.  “If roles were reversed and I’d have thrown that tee at him, I’d be expecting a lawsuit.”

McIlroy's note about the lawsuit was in reaction to being subpoenaed on Christmas Eve by a lawyer representing Reed.

Reed responded to McIlroy by calling him an immature child.

“He saw me and he decided to not react. But it is one of those things," Reed said. "If you’re going to act like an immature little child then you might as well be treated like one.”

The drama between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed has been the talk of the golf world this week. (Getty Images)

McIlroy Speaks At, Not To, Reed

While the back-and-forth has been heated, Reed believes things have cooled off a bit based on the interaction he had with McIlroy outside of their hotel on Thursday.

Rory gets out of his courtesy car, as he’s also staying at the same hotel, and he says, ‘Hey, just to let you know, we’re not playing, as they’ve suspended the start of play.’ He’s also saying, ‘We’re off the golf course, buddy. We’re off the golf course,'" Reed explained to Irish Golfer.

“So, I say, ‘OK, thanks for that,’ and head back to my room and go back to bed. I’m not sure if Rory was acknowledging me, my coach, my caddy, or all three of us, but whatever, I’ll take it as a small victory."

Reed admitting that he doesn't know if McIlroy was actually talking to him, but calling it a "small victory," is objectively hilarious, which is on par with how this entire drama between the two has been over the last few days.

McIlroy and Reed are tied on the leaderboard at the moment meaning there is a possibility the two could be paired together for Saturday's third round in Dubai, which would be appointment viewing for all golf fans.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris