Patrick Reed and rules controversies seem to go hand-in-hand lately with the embattled top-10 player finding himself in for the second time in five weeks.
In just his second tournament start since the Farmers Insurance Open where he came under scrutiny for the free drop he took from what he believed to be an embedded ball, Reed was again at the center of a firestorm over the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Fighting to make the cut on Friday afternoon, Reed’s drive on the par-4 8th hole, his second-last of the day, came to rest in the right trees. Needing an even-par finish to secure a pair of weekend tee times, Reed and his caddie, Kessler Karain, assessed their options from the right rough.
With PGA Tour Live cameras nearby, Reed could be seen digging his hand into the thick rough behind his ball, sending those watching the early-round coverage into a frenzy.
.@useGolfFACTS what are we moving here bud? pic.twitter.com/OOYh4BNYdb
— Griffin Flesch (@griffinflesch) March 5, 2021
Griffin Flesch, the son of four-time PGA Tour winner Steve Flesch, captured the video and Tweeted it out. The video began to elicit reactions from those quick to accuse Reed of cheating, but also a fair number of defenders.
Among the detractors were journalists and commentators such as Geoff Shackelford, Robert Lusetich and Lawrence Donegan as well as others
Before is on the left. After, right. pic.twitter.com/FPWrKFOMP6
— lawrencedonegan (@lawrencedonegan) March 5, 2021
To thin out what was behind the ball.. It’s all about “marginal gains” these days, no matter how small…
— lawrencedonegan (@lawrencedonegan) March 5, 2021
Others were happy to forego passing judgment.
I think you have to use your imagination to find something wrong with this. If it wasn’t @PReedGolf nobody would have said a thing
— Andrew Hackwood (@AndrewHackwood) March 6, 2021
Ultimately, no penalty was assessed and Reed opted to chip out back towards the fairway. He ended up making a bogey on the hole, which was enough to cause him to miss the cut by a stroke.
Article originally appeared on: clubhouse.swingu.com
Guy ‘ s please stop looking for bugs …
You can remove loose impediments like sticks and leaves as long as the ball doesn’t move
Why has nobody asked why Bryson got to move the ball on 16 or 17tge other day? Can’t remember which hole, but the announcers couldn’t find a reason either.
In my opinion it appeared that the sprinkler head could have interfered with his stance. The announcers talked about it being in his line, but that does not give him a lift. One announcer actually said the sprinkler was not going to interfere with his stance but I don’t know how that could have been determined from the booth. Not if they were looking at the same camera pic I was seeing. However, IMHO, the coverage should have sought an answer as that info would have been easily obtained in a matter of seconds.
The rules allow you to identify your ball, that said Reed needs to consults the rules official’s before digging around in the grass, he has to know that everyone is watching him. Remove the doubt !
I agree with mike and I would like to know who this flesch guy is . what is his motive following reed around shooting videos . is it to find something that might look bad for reed. Is money his motive? I also cant believe the drop bryson got on that green fringe . the ball and stance was nowhere close to what looked like a sprinkler head . this was on video for all to see. the drop put him a much closer to the green and of course we know he went on to win and collected 1.6 mil. Is it because he is a big draw for golf? The media is getting sickening and the next thing you’ll see is a camera up the guys butt hole. Can you imagine the media coverage on that.
I agree! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
Get off the guys back already. My good god I watch another player do everything but get out clippers .He spent half a minute gardening before he hit his shot. No one said a word about that.