Patrick Reed flirted with the edge of golf's rulebook again, then added fuel to the fire on Twitter
Patrick Reed is at it again.
On Saturday, during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open, golf's most notorious villain raised eyebrows once again after using a questionable interpretation of the rules to his advantage.
On the par-4 10th hole, Reed's second shot missed left, settling in a bit of thick rough. As he walked over for his next shot, Reed asked the volunteer who had spotted his ball if it had bounced. The volunteer said that they had not seen it bounce.
Reed then picked up his ball without consulting a rules official. Once his ball was moved, he called over a rules official and claimed his ball had been embedded, and needed to be picked up. When the rules official arrived, he checked the spot where Reed's ball had been before the pick-up, and allowed him to drop.
The full exchange as Patrick Reed takes embedded ball relief on No. 10. pic.twitter.com/gSPH6PrAoW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 30, 2021
From there, Reed got up-and-down to save par on the hole, but not before setting off a firestorm on Twitter. Fans and commentators watching at home calling shenanigans on Reed's speedy decision to pick up his ball.
This is absolutely insane! There's not one good reason for him to have already picked up the ball. I can't believe they've moved on from this so quickly.
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) January 30, 2021
Especially if the tour is going to encourage gambling, how can they let stuff like this continue to happen? https://t.co/HvW08mMuty
Reed, knowing the cameras are following his group, could have asked a rules official to check the tape to see if his ball bounced. It did!
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) January 30, 2021
Instead he picks it up, then calls a rules official in to "double check" and gets the free drop.
And gets it up and down. Unreal.
The rules of golf were designed to ensure the player never touched the ball, unless absolutely necessary. #PatrickReed
— Luke Elvy (@Luke_Elvy) January 30, 2021
At this point the outrage shouldn’t be at Patrick Reed but the ecosystem that continues to allow his nonsense to continue https://t.co/LDoijoRytY
— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) January 30, 2021
Reed brushed off the moment in his post-round interview, saying the rules official said he handled the moment "absolutely perfectly."
Co-leader Patrick Reed recaps his third round, including the 10th hole ruling. pic.twitter.com/lgv82A2hlv
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 31, 2021
But replays showed that the ball bounced into the spot where Reed picked it up from, raising questions if it could have embedded deep enough to warrent a drop. Had he waited for a rules official before picking up his ball, all of the drama surrounding the moment could have been skipped.
Reed didn't do himself any favors after the round. He appeared to get caught attempting to defend himself using a burner account on Twitter. However, he apparantly forgot to switch away from his main account before posting his defense.
So... this just happened pic.twitter.com/W3OEMenUpv
— Jacob Hallex (@jacob_hallex) January 31, 2021
Other players on Tour may have been given the benefit of the doubt by fans and media alike for the situation, but Reed has a known history of chicanery on the course.
Read more: Brooks Koepka called out Patrick Reed for cheating on the golf course, and he's not the only one
While PGA rules officials declared Reed's decision to pick up and take a drop "textbook" after his round, this isn't the first time Reed has flirted with the limits of the rules.
Kyle Porter at CBS Sports framed the conversation well on Twitter.
Last thought on Reed: It sucks to constantly skirt the spirit of the rules. That this happens every 6 mos. is not coincidental or because there are a lot of cameras. It's because you always see how much you can get away with, which is the opposite of what golf is supposed to be.
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) January 31, 2021
Despite the controversy, Reed sits atop the leaderboard tied with Carlos Ortiz at 10-under heading into the final round on Sunday.
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