‘LIVpa’ Leads with 4 Under Par vs ‘PGApa’ McIlroy at 2 Under Par

‘Rivals’ Dubai Desert Classic 1R Scoreboard

‘4 under par vs 2 under par.’ This is the scoreboard of rivals Patrick Reed (USA) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland).

Patrick Reed is taking his second shot on the 9th hole on the first day of the Dubai Desert Classic. Dubai=AP·Yonhap News

Reed, who left for LIV Golf sponsored by Saudi Arabian capital, posted 4 under par over 16 holes on the first day of the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) Hero Dubai Desert Classic (total prize money $9 million) held at Emirates Golf Club (par 72, 7,428 yards) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 26th (local time), placing him in a tie for 2nd.

McIlroy, world No. 1 representing the PGA Tour against LIV Golf, reduced his score by 2 strokes over 15 holes and is tied for 12th. Before the tournament, when McIlroy ignored Reed’s greeting, Reed flicked a wooden tee at McIlroy, sparking a psychological battle. Due to bad weather followed by sunset, only 12 out of 132 players completed their rounds. A staggering 66 players did not even start.

Reed collected 5 birdies (1 bogey). His strong start included a first birdie on the 2nd hole (par 4) and consecutive birdies on the 4th and 5th holes. Although he made a bogey on the 10th hole (par 5), he caught ‘stepping stone birdies’ on the 12th and 14th holes to enter the lead competition. McIlroy recorded 4 birdies and 2 bogeys. In the front nine, he exchanged 2 birdies for 2 bogeys and struggled to reduce his score. However, he showed resilience by making consecutive birdies on the 2nd and 3rd holes in the back nine.

Thomas Pieters (Belgium) surged to 5 under par over 15 holes, dominating the top of the leaderboard. Ranked 39th in the world, he debuted on the DP World Tour in 2014 and has accumulated 6 wins, making him a strong European contender. Last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Viktor Perez (France) and Tommy Fleetwood (England) are tied for 2nd, while Ryan Fox (New Zealand) is tied for 8th (3 under par). From Korea, Wang Jeonghun made 2 birdies over 9 holes to join the group tied for 12th.