Rory McIlroy says Patrick Reed isn’t “residing in actuality” after the American tried to talk with him in Dubai regardless of his attorneys serving the world primary a courtroom summons on Christmas Eve.

Reed, 32, says he threw a tee in the direction of McIlroy as a result of “if you are going to act like an immature little little one then you definitely would possibly as nicely be handled like one”.

“Patrick got here as much as say hiya. I did not really need him to,” McIlroy, 33, mentioned.

McIlroy, who’s getting ready for his first event of the yr, added: “I did not see a tee. I did not really feel a tee.

“Clearly another person noticed that. However it’s undoubtedly a storm in a tea cup. I can not consider it is truly became a narrative.”

It’s the newest act in golf’s more and more fractious civil conflict between the brand new LIV Golf collection and the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.

Reed, who beat McIlroy to win the Masters in 2018 and with whom he had an epic Ryder Cup match in 2016, is now a member of Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf.

McIlroy, who’s a participant director on the tour’s Participant Advisory Council, defined why he rejected Reed’s try to strike up a dialog.

“I used to be subpoenaed by his lawyer on Christmas Eve,” mentioned the Northern Irishman, who has been known as as a witness in Reed’s defamation case towards the PGA Tour amongst others.

“So, attempting to have a pleasant time with my household and somebody exhibits up in your doorstep and delivers that, you are not going to take that nicely.

“I am residing in actuality, I do not know the place he is residing. If I had been in his sneakers, I would not count on a hiya or a handshake.”

Reed says the witness summons was not instigated by him and that his LIV involvement is the explanation McIlroy snubbed him.

“We have had some nice battles and our friendship has been fairly good up till clearly becoming a member of LIV,” mentioned Reed, who’s now ranked ninetieth on this planet.

“I walked over and wished Harry (Diamond, McIlroy’s caddie) Glad New Yr after which Rory as a result of it’s the first time I’ve seen them.

“Harry shook my hand and Rory simply seemed down there and was messing together with his Trackman (gadget) and determined to disregard me. He noticed me and he determined to not react.

“Everyone knows the place it got here from – being a part of LIV. Since my tees are Group Aces LIV tees I flicked him one. It was form of a humorous shot again. Humorous how a small little flick has became principally me stabbing him and throwing a tee at him.”

McIlroy, who has been an outspoken critic of the breakaway LIV collection, additionally believes life is changing into tougher for its commissioner and chief govt Greg Norman.

Three executives have left the LIV set-up in latest weeks and the four-time main champion mentioned: “If the chief govt would not have an govt workforce, I do not understand how robust that’s.

“I imply, he cannot do it himself. He must depend on a workforce identical to all of us depend on groups to do issues.

“When you’re kind of working solo, it begins to get fairly troublesome.”

McIlroy known as for Norman to “exit stage left” in November, saying there wanted to be “an grownup within the room” for peace negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV to happen.

Each events are concerned in an anti-trust case that isn’t scheduled to be heard till January subsequent yr.

McIlroy’s feedback about Norman had been echoed by Tiger Woods, who mentioned: “There is a chance on the market if each organisations put a keep on their litigation.

“That is the issue. There isn’t a willingness to barter when you’ve got litigation towards you. I believe Greg has to go to begin with.”

Norman has subsequently branded 15-time main champion Woods a “mouthpiece of the PGA Tour”, including: “Sadly he made a remark that he would not know the info about, as a result of clearly I am nonetheless right here.”

The 2-time major-winner is now in sole cost of the LIV operation, following the departure of Majed Al-Sorour from his place as LIV Golf’s managing director.

Al Sorour, CEO of the Golf Saudi Federation, is an adviser to Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund and a director of Newcastle United.

The civil conflict that beset males’s skilled golf all through a lot of 2022 exhibits little signal of abating.

Separate authorized proceedings involving the European-based DP World Tour and 13 LIV gamers is scheduled to happen in London from 6 to 10 February.