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
Good to see he’s taken the lessons Torrey Pines to heart. https://t.co/tadxKiw333
— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) March 5, 2021
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
Hey look Patrick Reed is cheating again https://t.co/vUu4BcCfKi
— Jack Morgus (@OVSportsJack) 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.
