Patrick Reed was in the middle of a big controversy on Saturday at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Calif. over a questionable move.
Reed was leading by four strokes during the third round of play as he stepped to the 10th hole. His tee shot went left to a bunker, and his approach shot went to the left of the cart path to the left of the green.
There was a question about whether the ball bounced upon landing on the approach shot or whether it got embedded. A volunteer, plus all of Reed’s playing partners and the caddies for the group, said they did not see the ball bounce. So Reed decided to remove his ball and improve his lie after consulting with an official.
Video replay showed that the ball indeed bounced, meaning it could not have been embedded.
Patrick Reed claimed this ball was embedded and took a free drop
There is zero way that was possible after that bounce pic.twitter.com/lEKY3yfFvp
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 30, 2021
Even if the ball did bounce before Reed improved his lie, that wasn’t the issue.
The issue is that Reed decided to remove his ball before consulting with a rules official. He should have sought an official first before doing anything.
With the help of the improved lie, Reed made par on the hole and is tied for the lead at 10 under through three rounds.
Reed is known for being involved in similar controversies, though in 2018 he complained about not receiving favorable treatment.
