"5 birdies, no subpoenas!" - Max Homa happy with start to Farmers Insurance Open
Max Homa and Collin Morikawa joked about the friction between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed in Dubai after their first day's play at the Farmers Insurance Open.
One thing that has been proven from tee-gate between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed is that many PGA Tour golfers aren't bothered about tension with LIV Golf.
On the driving range at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy completely blanked Reed and ever since, multiple PGA Tour players have made fun of the incident and brushed it to one side.
Justin Thomas sarcastically described tee-gate as a tragedy on Instagram and his fellow Farmers Insurance Open competitors Max Homa and Collin Morikawa had some fun of it too.
After the first round of action in San Diego, Homa gave an assessment of his round on Twitter: "Had a nice time on the course today. 5 birdies, 1 bogey, no subpoenas. Very successful start to the week!"
Morikawa responded with: "Was so close to throwing a tee at you but you’re too nice." Homa was grateful that the two-time major champion spared him at Torrey Pines.
Was so close to throwing a tee at you but you’re too nice
— Collin Morikawa (@collin_morikawa) January 26, 2023
Of course, Homa was referring to McIlroy's reasons for ignoring Reed at Emirates Golf Club. The Northern Irishman reported to the media that the subpoena requested by Reed's attorney Larry Klayman arrived at his door on Christmas Eve.
McIlroy was baffled by a question given to him on Wednesday that suggested he could "mend bridges" with his former American Ryder Cup opponent.
As much as this incident showed the personal feelings that McIlroy has towards Reed, and the entity of LIV Golf itself, the footage that showed what became "tee-gate" was largely unexciting for golf fans.
The footage showed Reed throwing a tee towards the four-time major champion after being blanked. "But it is one of those things - if you're going to act like an immature little child then you might as well be treated like one," Reed said.
McIlroy has described the event as "a storm in a teacup," which is something the pair could probably agree on. At least McIlroy's PGA Tour colleagues enjoyed it.