Rory McIlroy says beating rival Patrick Reed at Dubai Desert Classic is ‘sweeter than it should be’ after ‘Tee-gate’ debacle and tree cheating allegation

Rory McIlroy edged rival Patrick Reed to win the Dubai Desert Classic by a stroke on Monday, saying victory is “sweeter than it should be”.

The Northern Irishman entered the final round leading by three strokes – and four ahead of Reed – at the top of the standings.

McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic on Monday – one stroke ahead of Reed[/caption]

But the American took the lead after notching seven birdies in the first 13 holes, before bogeying on the 16th, where he then caught another shot on the 18th.

Reed carded a round of 65 to put him in good stead to win the first title of the year.

But McIlroy, the world No. 1, responded with two birdies in the final two holes, including a 20ft hole to win the championship.

McIlroy revealed his victory means more due to the fact that it is up against the LIV Golf star, with whom he was embroiled in a war of words last week.

The two went through their own war after a subpoena was issued on McIlroy’s behalf with the 33-year-old called as a witness in Reed’s defamation case against the PGA Tour.

And before the competition started, McIlroy ignored Reed on the driving range – causing the latter to respond by throwing a LIV Golf tee in his direction.

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It’s the first time in McIlroy’s career that he’s started the year with a win[/caption]

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Reed and McIlroy were embroiled in a war of words last week[/caption]

Golf then moved from ‘Tee-gate’ to ‘Tree-gate’ after Reed was accused of misleading officials after his ball got stuck in a tree on the 17th hole on Sunday.

He used a pair of binoculars to identify the ball as “100%” his, even though golf fans watching on TV were convinced it was someone else with Reed’s ball in another tree.

Speaking after his victory, McIlroy was asked if there was “an added incentive because of who was up there?”

To which he replied: “Absolutely.

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McIlroy birdied twice to win the tournament in a tense final[/caption]

He added: “It was an all day battle. Honestly, it’s been a battle all week.

” I’ll enjoy. It’s probably softer than it should be or needs to be. But I feel like I still have things to work on.

“I definitely feel like I haven’t done my best all week, but I showed a lot of mental toughness.”

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