Dubai Desert Classic: American Patrick Reed wins by four strokes at Emirates GC

American Patrick Reed shot a level-par 72 in his final round to ease to a four-shot victory in the Dubai Desert Classic.

The 35-year-old LIV golfer finished the tournament at 14 under par to claim what was his first Rolex Series victory on the DP World Tour.

Reed, the Masters champion in 2018, started the final round with a four-shot lead over Spaniard and fellow LIV player David Puig, an advantage he maintained in the early going despite not making a birdie across the front nine.

Puig birdied the eighth and ninth to briefly cut into his playing partner’s lead, before both birdied the 10th and bogeyed the 11th.

When the Spaniard bogeyed the 13th, and Reed made his second birdie of the day on the same hole, it was a straightforward finish to the tournament for the former world number six.

“I couldn’t really get anything going on the front nine, it was a bit of a grind today,” Reed told Sky Sports.

“Instead of putting the foot on the gas early, I was just trying to protect that four-shot lead. I didn’t think I hit it that badly, I just couldn’t get anything close.

“When you’re trying to protect, sometimes instead of looking at flags, you’re looking away and then you misjudge the wind and all of a sudden you’re 50 feet away. That’s kind of what happened.”