Reed made ‘textbook’ call in rules controversy
Patrick Reed insisted he made a "textbook" call after being involved in another rules controversy at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Reed benefited from a controversial ruling on the par-four 10th at Torrey Pines when he hit a 190-yard shot out of a bunker, with a TV replay showing the ball bounced once before settling into the rough. Believing the ball did not bounce, Reed picked it up to see if it was embedded before a rules official arrived.
The American, who was penalised two strokes for appearing to deliberately improve his lie in a bunker at the Tiger Woods' Hero World challenge in december 2019, was awarded a free drop and saved par.
"The ball just disappeared. None of us saw it bounce," said Reed, adding that a nearby volunteer also said that it did not bounce. "When I put my finger down there and felt like it has broken ground, the first thing you do is call the rules official. The rules official said, 'Yes, there's a lip here, it definitely broke the plane.'
"It's an embedded ball, you get a club length and take a drop, and at that point we did exactly what we were supposed to do."
Reed said he was later approached by the rules official after completing his round of 70. "He had his phone out and shows us the video," Reed said. "He said 'I just want to let you know what you've done here in the whole procedure was textbook, it was perfect.'
"It happened the ball did bounce, but because no one in the whole group or the volunteer saw it bounce we were able to take relief.
"If someone had seen the video or saw the ball bounce obviously I wouldn't have marked the ball or attempted to ask for embedded ball."